Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIn February 2026, Tesla’s UK sales plunged by 45.2% year-on-year to 2,208 units, yet it still exceeded BYD’s 968 units. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for roughly 25% of the UK market, highlighting the sector’s continued expansion amid shifting competitive dynamics.
March 4 (Reuters) - Tesla's UK sales fell sharply in February, but still outpaced Chinese rival BYD, data from New Automotive showed on Wednesday.
Tesla sold 2,208 vehicles in February, down 45.2% from a year earlier. BYD's sales rose 40.9% to 968 units.
While Tesla's delivery patterns are typically volatile, year-to-date figures are down 5%, meaning the decline is likely to draw scrutiny, New Automotive said.
Tesla's position in the UK has weakened amid intensifying competition from Chinese brands such as BYD and SAIC-owned MG, as its ageing model line-up struggles to keep pace.
Tesla's February sales also fell in Italy, Denmark and Sweden, pointing to broader challenges in Europe.
Battery-electric cars accounted for a quarter of the overall UK car market in February, while about a third of new car registrations had a plug, the data showed.
"It is fantastic to see one in four motorists opting for an electric car in February," Ben Nelmes, chief executive of New Automotive said.
"As we enter yet another fossil fuel price crisis, every electric vehicle is yet another step on the road to energy independence."
Overall UK car registrations across all fuel types rose 3.6% in February to 83,377 vehicles, the data showed.
(Reporting by DhanushVignesh Babu in Bengaluru and Alessandro Parodi; Editng by Tasim Zahid)
Tesla's UK sales fell sharply by 45.2% year-on-year to 2,208 vehicles in February.
Despite a sales decline, Tesla still sold more vehicles than BYD, with 2,208 Teslas versus BYD's 968 units.
BYD's UK sales increased by 40.9% year-on-year in February.
Battery-electric vehicles made up a quarter of the overall UK car market in February.
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