BYD has overtaken Ford in European registrations as Chinese manufacturers expand their market share and Tesla records renewed growth.
ACEA figures for the EU, UK and EFTA show BYD registered 283,997 cars between January and September, up 134.6% year-on-year, compared with Ford’s 277,269.
Chery Automobile, covering Chery, Jaecoo, Jetour and Omoda, increased registrations by 255.9% to 260,650. That put it just 75 cars ahead of Tesla.
Volkswagen recorded the largest market share loss among individual brands across the EU, UK and EFTA in January–September, falling from 10.9% to 9.9%.
Ford, Hyundai and Dacia each lost 0.7 percentage points, while Peugeot and Nissan dropped 0.4 points.
Chinese growth continues to change the competitive picture across Europe
The figures demonstrate how quickly the competitive balance is shifting for established manufacturers and their dealer networks.
BYD’s growth has taken it beyond the position of an emerging challenger, while Chery’s combined brands are building sufficient volume to compete with established names.
However, manufacturer rankings require care.
Chery’s total combines several brands, while Geely Group includes established European marques such as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.
Geely registrations rose 14.5% to 343,875, while SAIC Motor increased volumes by 20.3% to 272,251. Leapmotor recorded growth of 424.2% to 87,922, albeit from a smaller base.
Tesla grows alongside Chinese competitors
Tesla’s performance also challenges any suggestion that Chinese manufacturers’ gains necessarily mean falling registrations for the US brand.
Its European registrations increased 50% to 260,575 over the first nine months, lifting overall market share from 1.7% to 2.5%.
September registrations rose 72.5% to 68,776. Across the same European markets, the wider battery-electric market grew 41.9% year-to-date and 59.9% during September, meaning Tesla outpaced both measures.
BEVs accounted for 22.7% of registrations in September across Europe, compared with 16.1% a year earlier.
Hybrids remained the largest powertrain category, taking 36.3%, while petrol and diesel’s combined share fell from 36.9% to 28.2%.
That changing mix creates opportunities for several manufacturers to grow simultaneously.
European market share losses by brand
January to September 2026, EU, UK and EFTA.
| Brand | 2025 market share | 2026 market share | Change (percentage points) | Registrations change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen | 10.9% | 9.9% | -1.0 | -3.4% |
| Ford | 3.3% | 2.6% | -0.7 | -15.2% |
| Hyundai | 4.0% | 3.3% | -0.7 | -13.2% |
| Dacia | 4.5% | 3.8% | -0.7 | -9.7% |
| Peugeot | 5.0% | 4.6% | -0.4 | -3.4% |
| Nissan | 2.3% | 1.9% | -0.4 | -10.5% |
| Toyota | 6.5% | 6.2% | -0.3 | +1.0% |
| BMW | 6.0% | 5.7% | -0.3 | +1.5% |
Chinese manufacturer market share gains
January to September 2026, EU, UK and EFTA.
| Manufacturer/group | 2025 market share | 2026 market share | Change (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chery Automobile | 0.7% | 2.5% | +1.8 |
| BYD | 1.2% | 2.7% | +1.5 |
| Leapmotor | 0.2% | 0.8% | +0.6 |
| Geely Group | 3.0% | 3.3% | +0.3 |
| SAIC Motor | 2.3% | 2.6% | +0.3 |
Source: ACEA. Market share changes are calculated from rounded figures. Chery Automobile includes Chery, Jaecoo, Jetour and Omoda. Geely Group includes Geely, Geely-Emgrand, LEVC, Lotus, Lynk & Co, Polestar, Smart, Volvo Cars and Zeekr.