BYD outsells Tesla by nearly 400K electric vehicles as 2025 sales showdown continues

BYD is ahead of every other EV maker in 2025 in terms of sales, including Tesla. The former has managed to put a 400,000 gap between the two rivals.

BYD has sold 1.61 electric vehicles since the beginning of 2025, representing a 37 percent improvement over the same period last year. In comparison, Tesla’s fortunes were in the reverse, with only 1.22 million deliveries, or a 6 percent decline year-on-year. This means Tesla is lagging behind by 388,000 as of the beginning of the last quarter of the year.

Tesla lost out to BYD even though it had a record performance in the last quarter, while BYD posted its first year-on-year decline.

Market trends indicate that BYD has been steadily outpacing Tesla for some time, with Q3 2025 marking the fourth consecutive quarter that the former has outsold the latter. The figures do not include BYD’s PHEV production, which accounted for 46.2 percent of its sales in H1 2025.

In contrast, Tesla ended 2024 with a narrow victory, selling 1.79 million units compared to BYD's 1.76 million units. The American company held a 124,000-unit lead at the end of Q3 2024.

Tesla recently launched the Model Y L in China, which the company hopes will help boost demand. The expanded six-seat electric SUV reportedly averaged 10,000 daily orders at some point in August. However, it is unlikely that it will help Tesla catch up to BYD before the year runs out.