The European automotive market is undergoing a dramatic shift. Recent data from the European Automotive Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) shows a significant decline in Tesla’s sales, while Chinese brands, particularly BYD and MG (SAIC), have achieved record growth.

Tesla retreats in the European market

A total of 1,473,447 electric vehicles were sold in Europe during the first ten months of 2025. This volume saw the share of electric cars in total sales rise from approximately 13 percent last year to 16.4 percent. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France are the largest contributors to this surge in electric car sales.

These four countries account for 62 percent of all electric car sales in Europe. During this period, sales increased by approximately 40 percent in Germany, approximately 11 percent in Belgium, 6.6 percent in the Netherlands, and 5.3 percent in France.

Despite this upward trend, US manufacturer Tesla is experiencing a noticeable decline in its 2025 data. Tesla delivered only 6,964 units in October, a nearly 50 percent decrease compared to the previous year. In the first 10 months, covering January-October, Tesla’s sales also fell by 29 percent. This decline caused the brand’s market share in Europe to drop from 2.4 percent to 1.6 percent.

Meanwhile, the rise of Chinese brands in Europe continues. BYD increased its sales by a striking 206 percent in October, reaching 17,470 units. In the first 10 months of the year, the brand reached approximately 140,000 units sold.

With this figure, which is almost four times the sales volume of the previous year, the Chinese brand’s market share increased from 0.3 percent to 1.3 percent. SAIC, the parent company of MG, also performed strongly. SAIC’s October sales increased by 35.9 percent to 23,860 units. January-October sales increased by 26.6 percent to 250,250 units, and the company’s market share increased from 1.8 percent to 2.3 percent.

Chinese manufacturers nearly doubled their total sales in October, reaching 75,000 units. This success brought the combined share of Chinese brands in the European market to a record 7.8 percent.