Tesla loses place as world's top electric vehicle seller to China's BYD

Tesla loses place as world's top electric vehicle seller to China's BYD Tesla has lost its place as the top global seller of electric vehicles to Chinese company BYD, capping a year defined by outrage over CEO Elon Musk's political manoeuvring and the end of United States tax breaks for customers. The company revealed on Friday that it had sold 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, compared with BYD's 2.26 million vehicles. The sales represented a 9 percent decline for Tesla from a year earlier. However, the market has become increasingly crowded with competitors, with China's electric vehicle market bounding ahead. Musk's embrace of US President Donald Trump in 2024 and subsequent spearheading of a controversial "government efficiency" panel (DOGE) behind widespread layoffs of federal workers has also proved polarising.