Overview
- European new-car registrations fell about 3.5–4% in January, yet battery-electric vehicles rose to roughly 19% of sales, according to ACEA.
- Tesla’s share across the EU, UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland slipped to 0.8% year on year, extending a multi‑month decline flagged by industry trackers.
- BYD registered 18,242 vehicles in Europe in January, up about 165% year on year to roughly 1.9% market share, and sold about three times Tesla’s volume.
- Analysts describe Tesla’s start to 2026 as very weak, citing an ageing lineup, reputational headwinds tied to Elon Musk, and downward pressure from abundant used Teslas.
- Dataforce reports a January dip in Chinese brands’ EV share that analysts view as a short-term correction, while BYD advances local production in Hungary and benefits from EU price‑undertaking pathways that can ease tariff impacts.