Chinese EV makers overtake Tesla in European February sales

Chinese-owned EV brands outsold Tesla in Europe during February 2025, as the US-based EV manufacturer battles declining sales and shifting market dynamics.

About 966,300 new passenger cars were registered across 28 European markets in February—a 3% drop compared to the same month last year, JATO Dynamics data shows.

Year-to-date registrations also slipped by 2% to 1.96 million units.

“There are still no clear signs of recovery in the European automotive industry,” says JATO Dynamics global analyst Felipe Munoz.

“Uncertainty in the domestic market is being further complicated by challenges in both China and the US.”

While overall new car sales were down, battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations were up 26% to 164,000 units—marking the highest volume ever recorded for a February.

During the first two months of the year, BEV registrations climbed 31% to nearly 330,000 units.

Despite the BEV boom, Tesla’s performance faltered.

The EV giant’s February market share dropped to 9.6%, its lowest for the month in five years. Year-to-date, Tesla’s share has nearly halved—down from 18.4% in 2024 to 7.7% this year.

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