China's BYD surpasses Tesla as world's top EV seller for first time

Chinese automaker BYD has overtaken U.S. rival Tesla as the world's largest seller of electric vehicles on a calendar-year basis, the companies reported.

BYD said sales of its battery-powered cars rose nearly 28% to 2.26 million units.

Tesla reported it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, about an 8% decline from 2024 and the company's second straight annual drop. Tesla's fourth-quarter deliveries were roughly 16% lower than the fourth quarter of 2024, when it reported 495,570 deliveries.

The companies' results come after years of shifting competition. Elon Musk once dismissed BYD as a rival in a 2011 interview, laughing at the mention of the company and saying he did not see them as a competitor.

Tesla's 2025 year included a volatile stock period: shares collapsed early in the year amid stiff competition from Chinese EV makers and reputational fallout from Musk's political rhetoric, then recovered to an all-time closing high of $489.88 last month after Musk said Tesla had been testing driverless vehicles in Austin with no occupants, about six months after starting a pilot program with safety drivers.

Key Topics

Business, Byd, Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Ev Sales, China, Deliveries