Tesla EU registrations jump 78.6% as BYD leads year to date
Key Facts
Tesla's new car registrations in the European Union jumped 78.6% year on year in September 2026, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, increasing its share of an expanding passenger car market. The company registered 45,866 cars, compared with 25,681 in September 2025. Its share of the overall market rose to 4.7% from 2.9% in the same month a year earlier. Tesla's increase outpaced growth across the EU market, where registrations rose 9.3% during the month. Total new passenger car registrations reached 971,048, compared with 888,529 a year earlier. Over January–September, the European market grew 5.7% year on year, according to the association.
BYD posted faster year-on-year growth in September registrations of 111.4%, with 28,309 cars registered, compared with 13,391 a year earlier. Its EU market share rose to 2.9% from 1.5% in September 2025, according to the association's table. Although its monthly registrations remained below Tesla's, BYD led the comparison between the two companies for the year to date, with 206,002 cars registered in January–September, compared with Tesla's 188,035. BYD registrations stood at 80,977 in the corresponding period of 2025, putting its cumulative year-on-year increase at 154.4%. Its share over the period rose to 2.4% from 1.0%. Tesla's cumulative registrations increased 68.9% from 111,353 cars in the same period a year earlier. Its January–September share reached 2.2%, compared with 1.4% a year earlier.
Both companies expanded as demand for electrified vehicles remained strong, particularly in major European markets, according to the association. The association attributed this to "buyer support measures and a broader range of models." Battery-electric car registrations reached 1,931,465 in the EU during January–September, making them the second most popular powertrain category. Non-plug-in hybrids retained the lead, with 3,090,530 cars registered over the same period. Plug-in hybrid registrations totalled 860,257. The association said higher volumes in this category in Italy, Spain and Germany supported its registrations across the EU.
By contrast, petrol and diesel car registrations contracted during January–September despite growth in the overall market. Petrol car registrations fell 19.1% year on year, according to the association. The decline in petrol registrations extended across all major EU markets. Diesel cars recorded a year-on-year decline of 19.5% over the same period. The two categories' combined share of new car registrations fell to 28.2% from 36.9% in the corresponding period of 2025.
Tesla's performance in some European markets weakened in August, before the increase recorded across the EU in September. In Norway, the company's registrations fell 79% year on year, according to data from the Norwegian Road Federation cited by Reuters in a report published in early September. In Sweden, registrations declined 41% in August, according to Mobility Sweden data cited in the same report. Globally, Tesla said it produced 464,391 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026. Its worldwide deliveries totalled 486,532 vehicles in the same quarter, according to the company's investor statement.
The competition for European registrations coincided with an expansion in EU car imports from China during the first half of 2026. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association said in its economic and market report that China led the increase in imports. The value of cars imported from China rose 70.5% to 10.5 billion euros. These imports exceeded 700,000 cars in the first half, according to the report. The association set 24 November 2026 as the publication date for October passenger car registration data.