Tesla dethroned in the UK as biggest selling EV maker by two new Chinese brands
- Two Chinese newcomers just outsold Tesla in the UK
- Chinese rivals and European carmakers are stepping up their game
- Tesla’s waning brand popularity has been called a ‘brand crisis’
Published on May 12, 2025 at 2:37 AM (UTC+4)
by Jason Fan
Last updated on May 09, 2025 at 4:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Tesla is no longer the UK’s best-selling EV brand, thanks to Chinese EV manufacturers Jaecoo and Omada, who outsold the once-dominant EV giant.
These new entrants to the European market outsold Tesla in April by a large margin, too.
In fact, other European carmakers have also recorded increased sales.
Some analysts have even started calling Tesla’s waning brand popularity a ‘brand crisis’.
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Chinese automotive giant Chery owns both Jaecoo and Omoda
While they only entered the UK market in 2023, their rapid rise has been nothing short of remarkable.
The stats don’t lie: in April, Jaecoo and Omada sold 1,053 and 910 vehicles, respectively, compared to just 512 Tesla sales.
The UK is not the only place that the American carmaker is struggling.
Across Europe, the company’s sales are faltering, even in previously strong markets like Germany, where April sales dropped nearly 46 per cent year-on-year.
This is despite the launch of an updated version of its best-selling Model Y.
So, what’s driving the downturn?
For one, competition has never been so fierce.
While the American EV giant continues to focus exclusively on electric cars, rivals like Jaecoo and Omada have a different strategy.
The duo offers a mix of EVs, hybrids, and petrol-powered models, making it more enticing for customers.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s more established Chinese rival BYD is also surging ahead.
The Chinese EV giant sold 2,511 vehicles in the UK this April, which is a staggering 650 per cent increase year-on-year.
Remember, this is almost five times higher than Tesla’s sales in the same period.
Tesla has attempted to stem the bleeding with incentives, like up to two years of free Supercharging for some UK customers, but it’s had little effect so far.
There is a lot for Tesla to worry about, with European legacy automakers finally stepping up their EV game, and Chinese newcomers gaining traction.
Tesla is no longer the only player in town, and its once-unshakable position in the UK and across Europe is being threatened
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