Tesla loses title as world’s biggest electric vehicle maker as sales fall again

Tesla said it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier (Noah Berger/AP)

Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle (EV) maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row.

Tesla said it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.

Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker.

For the fourth quarter, sales totalled 418,227, falling short of the 440,000 that analysts polled by FactSet expected. The sales total may likely have been impacted by the expiration of a 7,500-dollar (£5,568) tax credit that was phased out by the Trump administration at the end of September.

Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus distributes popcorn at a Christmas market stall during its presentation in Berlin in December (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

Even with multiple issues buffeting the company, the stock finished 2025 with a gain of approximately 11%, as investors hope Tesla chief executive Mr Musk can deliver on his ambitions to make Tesla a leader in robotaxi service and get consumers to embrace humanoid robots that can perform basic tasks in homes and offices.

Shares of Tesla rose almost 2% before the opening bell Friday.