Reports say that BYD is expected to surpass Tesla for the first time in 2025, becoming the world’s largest electric-vehicle manufacturer.

On Jan 2, IT Home reported that the BBC published a post the same day saying BYD is set to overtake Tesla for the first time in 2025, becoming the global No.1 in annual EV sales.

Based on BYD’s official figures, the company delivered 2,256,714 battery-electric vehicles in 2025, up 27.86% from 1,764,992 in 2024.

Tesla is expected to release its final numbers later on Friday. Analyst estimates cited by Visible Alpha project Tesla’s Q4 2025 deliveries at about 432,810 units, roughly a 13% year-on-year decline. Full-year deliveries are forecast at around 1.65 million, down 7.8% from 2024—marking a second consecutive annual drop.

The BBC said Tesla faced mounting headwinds in 2025. One factor was pushback linked to Elon Musk’s role as head of the “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),” which reportedly weighed on sales in the first quarter. The company was also criticized for muted reception to new products and the slow rollout of more affordable models. Although Tesla introduced lower-priced versions of two popular models in the U.S. in Q3 2025 to support demand, intensifying competition from Chinese rivals remained a major challenge.

By contrast, the BBC noted that BYD’s global expansion continued steadily, with the UK standing out as a key market. BYD said in October that the UK had become its largest market outside China. Driven by strong demand for the Seal U plug-in hybrid SUV, BYD’s UK sales surged 880% year-on-year by the end of September.