BYD has sold more electric cars than Tesla in Europe. Clio tops the list. Skoda wins in electrics

BYD overtakes Tesla for the first time in April in terms of electric vehicles sold. Although the difference between the monthly sales totals of the two brands is minimal, 7,231 units (+169%) for BYD compared to 7,165 units for Tesla (-49%), the resulting figure could be considered, according to the findings of the British Institute Jato Dynamics, a possible watershed for the European market. If we consider that Tesla has been leading in its electric sales for years, while BYD only officially started importing to Norway and the Netherlands at the end of 2022.

While Tesla reported another monthly decline of 49% in April on an annual basis, on the contrary, BYD recorded a 359% increase adding plug-in cars to electric cars. BYD's rapid expansion has already allowed the brand to overtake European brands such as Seat in Italy, Fiat and Seat in France, Fiat in Spain and Dacia, Fiat and Seat in the United Kingdom. A constant growth that of BYD that comes before the brand has started production destined for Europe in the new plant in Hungary. Not to mention the increase in sales of electrified cars.

In April, sales of electric and plug-in hybrids together accounted for 26% of new car registrations in Europe, a record that can also be explained by the record registrations recorded by the increasingly numerous Chinese brands. In particular, battery-powered vehicles accounted for 17% of total sales, compared to 13.4% recorded at the average of April 2024, while plug-in hybrid models actually accounted for 9% of total registrations, compared to 6.9% in the corresponding month last year.

Despite the tariffs imposed by the EU, registrations of electric vehicles produced by Chinese manufacturers increased by 59%, reaching 15,300 units. Within the sector, manufacturers from Europe, Japan, Korea and the United States, however, recorded an increase of 26%. Plug-ins also saw a great development, based on the volumes of Chinese brands growing by 546%, up to 1,493 units compared to 9,649 units in April 2024, which allows Chinese car brands to represent 10% of PHEV sales in Europe.

The Renault Clio was the most registered car in Europe during the month of April, with 18,997 units despite a slight contraction of 3%. It has not happened since June 2020 that the Clio confirmed itself at the top of the model ranking, having lost ground in recent years to its low-cost rival, the Dacia Sandero, best-seller in Europe in 2024. The most significant growth in the top ten ranking of the best-selling models in the month of April in Europe, however, was that of the Vw Tiguan + 32% for a total of 16,277 units sold.