Tesla $TSLA recorded its highest monthly sales in Europe in September, according to Automotive News, as BYD, SAIC Motor and Leapmotor posted gains.
Registrations of Tesla models rose 72.5% from a year earlier to 68,776 in the European Union, the U.K., Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, known as ACEA. Growth in August was 4%, the Journal said, citing the same data.
The Model Y topped the market ranking with 40,971 sales, up 55% from a year earlier, and the Model 3 placed second, according to Automotive News.
Chinese automakers expanded their presence in the same month, according to The Wall Street Journal. BYD registrations climbed close to 99% to 49,953 vehicles. SAIC Motor registrations gained roughly 24% to reach 41,987 units, and Leapmotor's tally more than quadrupled to 14,594 vehicles.
Established European automakers lost ground, according to The Wall Street Journal. Volkswagen sales fell 2.9% to 308,474 units, and Renault sales slipped 0.7% to 114,726 vehicles.
Europe's battery-electric vehicle market expanded by close to 60% in September, according to The Wall Street Journal. Hybrid-electric car registrations climbed 5.3%, with plug-in hybrids adding 24%. Total passenger-car registrations rose 10% across Europe overall, with the E.U. up 9.3%.
Battery-electric vehicle sales across the E.U. reached 1.64 million between January and August, a 45% increase from the same eight months of 2025, according to the advocacy group Transport & Environment. Those vehicles held a 22% share of E.U. car sales over the period, up six percentage points from a year earlier.
Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles worldwide in the third quarter, the company said. That was down 2% from the 497,099 delivered in the same period of 2025. Tesla faces price pressure from Chinese automakers such as BYD and Xiaomi.
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