Chinese manufacturers are pushing Tesla out of the European electric car market

According to JATO Dynamics data for 28 markets, Chinese automakers surpassed Tesla in electric vehicle sales in Europe in February. While demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) generally increased, the US company was losing ground. Its market share fell to 9.6 per cent - the worst result for February in five years.

Here's What We Know

A total of 966,271 new passenger cars were registered in Europe in February, down 3% on the same month last year. At the same time, sales of electric vehicles rose 26 per cent to a record 164,148 units for the month.

Tesla, on the other hand, registered around 15,700 cars in February, while Chinese brands registered 19,800 units. In February 2024, the ratio was different, with Tesla at 28,131 units and Chinese companies at 23,182 units.

Leading the way among Chinese-owned brands were Volvo, BYD and Polestar. Volvo slipped 30 per cent in the BEV segment, but BYD grew 94 per cent and Polestar 84 per cent. Xpeng (1,000 units) and Leapmotor (almost 900 cars) also distinguished themselves.

European market leaders

Volkswagen AG holds the lead with a 25.8% share. Stellantis comes in second but lost 2.6% due to falling sales of Citroen, Opel/Vauxhall and Fiat. Renault Group has increased sales by 12% due to the popularity of the Clio, Dacia Duster and the new Renault Symbioz and Renault 5.

Among the models, the Dacia Sandero hatchback again took the top spot in terms of registrations. The Citroen C3 took second place and the Renault Clio was third (+22 per cent in sales). The Volkswagen Tiguan, which came in at ninth position, posted the biggest increase of 43 per cent.

Source: JATO Dynamics