Powerful competition for Tesla in first quarter of 2025
19 May 2025
Tesla took the top two spots in the global battery-electric vehicle (BEV) market during the first quarter of 2025. Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus considers how quickly the competition is catching up.
Between January and March 2025, global BEV deliveries increased by 37.8% year on year, according to data from EV Volumes. This brought the sales total to 2.74 million units. March bolstered this performance, with a gain of 38.5% up to 1.13 million deliveries.
Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) saw lower volumes and growth. With deliveries up by 30% in the first three months of the year, the powertrain recorded 1.56 million sales. After a slightly slower January and an improved February, the global PHEV market grew by 29.2% in March. This equated to 604,046 units taking to roads worldwide.
China led the global PHEV market. 69.8% of all PHEV sales took place in the country in the first quarter. This was up by 3.7 percentage points (pp) from the same period in 2024.
The US followed with 5.3%, down 1.7pp, followed by Germany with 4.1%, up 0.4pp. Then came the UK, accounting for 3.4% of all PHEV sales, down 0.2pp, trailed by Spain, which held on to a steady 1.3% share, stable from the first quarter of 2024.
China led the BEV market with a comparatively lower share of 56%, although this was a year-on-year improvement of 3.8pp. The US was down 2.2pp to 10.1%. The UK picked up 0.2pp with 4.4%, while Germany held steady with 4.1%. France fell from 4.1% in the first quarter of 2024 to 2.8% this year.
Tesla takes top two
The Tesla Model Y emerged as the best-selling BEV globally in the first quarter of 2025. With 201,773 units delivered, it accounted for 7.4% of the all-electric car market. Two markets drove demand, with 40.6% of the Model Y’s deliveries occurring in China and 34.8% in the US.
A more affordable version of the Tesla Model Y was launched earlier in May, as reported by Reuters. The long-range rear-wheel drive version could cost approximately $44,990 (€39,903) in the US, before a $7,500 federal tax credit. The carmaker will be hoping this more accessible pricing will help it stay ahead of its competitors.
In second, the Tesla Model 3 recorded 118,964-unit sales between January and March. This equated to a market share of 4.3%. The BYD Seagull, also known as the Dolphin Mini, finished in third, continuing its move up the year-to-date table. It took a 3.3% market share with 90,044 sales.
The BYD Seagull recently won the 2025 World Urban Car award. A jury of 96 automotive journalists from 30 countries selected the top three finalists by secret ballot. Jurors based this on an evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their current work.
The Geely Geome Xingyuan continued its descent, coming fourth at the end of the quarter. It recorded 89,215 sales, with a 3.3% share of the global BEV market. The Wuling Mini was next with a 3.2% hold and 89,185 sales.
In sixth was the Xiaomi SU7 with a 2.8% market share and 75,921 deliveries. The BYD Yuan Up, also known as the Atto 2, soared into the top 10 with a market share of 2.1% and 58,097 sales. The BYD Yuan Plus, known as the Atto 3 in some markets, also climbed the rankings with 57,763 deliveries, representing 2.1% of the market.
The Xpeng M03 fell to ninth in the year-to-date table with a share of 1.7% and 47,130 sales. Finally, the Geely Panda Mini came 10th with 42,792 deliveries and a 1.6% hold of the global BEV market.
Tesla Model Y still leads
The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling BEV in March. However, it recorded a year-on-year drop in sales of 24.7%. 89,016 units were delivered to customers. As a result, its market share was almost halved from 14.4% to 7.8%.
Its sedan sibling, the Tesla Model 3, was able to hold onto second place as its deliveries increased by 30.5% to 54,197 units. However, increased competition meant its market share fell by 0.2 percentage points (pp) to 4.8%.
The Wuling Mini came third with 42,184 deliveries, up by 162.9%, pushing its share from 1.9% to 3.7%. Then followed the BYD Seagull, with sales climbing by 36.7% to 38,276 units, its market share remained static at 3.4%.
Taking fifth, the Geely Geome Xingyuan recorded 32,481 deliveries in its seventh month since launching. It captured 2.9% of the global BEV market. Not far behind was another more recent market entrant, the Xiaomi SU7. In its 12th month in the market, it recorded 29,256 deliveries and took a 2.6% share.
The BYD Yuan Up managed 26,000 sales, taking a 2.3% share. Its stablemate, the BYD Yuan Plus, posted 22,554 global deliveries, a decline of 18.6% year on year. Therefore, its hold on the market slipped by 1.4pp to 2%.
The Wuling Bingo finished the month in ninth with 17,420 sales. This marked a rise of 43.5% as its share remained steady at 1.5%. The BYD Dolphin represented the same amount of global BEV deliveries, with its market hold falling 0.6pp. It saw deliveries decline by 1.9% to 16,910 units.
Eight BYD PHEVs in top 10
BYD took eight of the top 10 slots in the global PHEV table in the first quarter of 2025. The BYD Song Plus, also known as the Seal U, was the best-selling plug-in hybrid with a share of 5%. In total, 78,095 of these models were delivered across the world, nearly three-quarters of which were delivered in China.
The BYD Song Pro was the second most popular PHEV across the world between January and March. With 69,271 units delivered, the models took a 4.4% hold of the market.
The BYD Qin L came third with a share of 3.5% and 53,931 sales. The BYD Qin Plus was next up, recording 53,025 deliveries and a market share of 3.4%. Moving up to fifth place was the BYD Seal 06 with a market share of 3% following 46,893 sales.
The first non-BYD in the PHEV top 10 was the Li Auto L6 with 44,347 deliveries. It also climbed the rankings, representing 2.8% of the market. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Starship 7 dropped to seventh with 42,286 sales and a share of 2.7%.
In eighth was the BYD Destroyer 05, also known as the Seal 05. It held 2.1% of the global PHEV market with 32,789 sales. Only 643 units behind was the BYD Song L with 32,146 deliveries and a 2.1% share. The BYD Han finished 10th, holding 2% of the market after selling 31,880 units.
BYD’s prominent PHEV performance
The BYD Song Plus was the most popular PHEV in March. It saw deliveries increase by 34.4% year on year to 32,201 units. This pushed its market share up by 0.2pp to 5.3%.
The BYD Song Pro finished in second with 26,813 deliveries, down 5.6% as its market share slipped to 4.4% from 6.1% a year prior. The BYD Qin L came third in its 11th month on the market. Its 21,671 deliveries represented 3.6% of all PHEV units sold.
The BYD Qin Plus finished fourth with 20,457 deliveries, down 39.5% year on year. Its market share fell by more than half to 3.4% from 7.2% in March 2024. The BYD Seal 06 reached 18,217 units in its 11th month on the market, representing 3% of all PHEV sales.
With 17,197 units delivered, the Li Auto L6 claimed 2.8% of the market. In seventh, the BYD Han saw sales fall 22.2% to 12,524 units, while its grip on the market slipped from 3.4% to 2.1%.
In eighth, the Galaxy Starship 7 recorded 11,888 sales with a 2% market share. It was followed closely by the BYD Song L with 11,878 units, representing 2% of all PHEV sales. The Chery Fengyun T6, alongside the Tansuo 06, came 10th. It reached 11,786 deliveries and held on to 2% of the market.
