Tesla is about to lose the title as world’s top EVs seller

Chinese robotics and automaker BYD is expected to overtake Tesla as the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles on a full-year basis for the first time.

Both companies are due to publish final sales results for 2025. Based on reported data, analysts expect BYD to move ahead when the figures are confirmed.

BYD said on Thursday that sales of its battery-powered vehicles climbed nearly 28% in 2025 to 2.26 million units. The company did not revise that figure.

Tesla has yet to release its annual numbers and is expected to do so later on Friday. Earlier this week, the company compiled an average estimate pointing to 1.6 million vehicle deliveries for the year.

That estimate would represent a decline of about 8% from 2024. It would also mark Tesla’s second consecutive annual drop in deliveries.

Tesla reports deliveries as its closest measure of sales. The company does not provide a precise definition of the metric in its shareholder updates.

The anticipated milestone would underline BYD’s rapid expansion. More than a decade ago, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk publicly dismissed the Chinese company’s products during a 2011 interview.

BYD vehicles have continued to expand into overseas markets. In March, imported BYD cars were photographed at a port in Yokohama as global trade tensions weighed on the auto sector. U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans for a 25% tariff on automobiles produced outside the United States.

Tesla experienced sharp share price declines in the first quarter of 2025. The drop followed intensifying competition, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, and public backlash linked to Musk’s political statements.

The stock has since rebounded. Shares reached a record closing price of $489.88 last month.

The recovery followed Musk’s comments that Tesla had been testing driverless vehicles without occupants in Austin. The testing began nearly six months after the company launched a pilot program using safety drivers.

Final confirmation of annual sales figures is expected later on Friday.