China Dominates EV Sales as Europe Falls Behind

China Dominates EV Sales as Europe Falls Behind

China sold over 13 million electric vehicles in 2025, representing six out of ten global sales. Europe, with four million units, is nowhere near the top. The list of best-selling EVs worldwide resembles a Chinese monopoly: BYD, SAIC, and Geely occupy the leading positions. Tesla, relying on its two veteran models, remains the sole Western exception. The rest are negligible.

The European Industry's Crisis

Twenty years ago, China exported no notable internal combustion cars. Today, it produces 75% of global EVs and controls the battery supply chain. Meanwhile, European manufacturers have been complacent: Peugeot launched a functional EV in 2011 with a 200 km range… and stopped there, stuck between lukewarm efforts and three-cylinder engines. As a result, brands like BYD, which didn't even exist then, have overtaken them. "Burned" sums it up: none meet the "super cool European standards," but they sell. And a lot.

The Dacia Spring, That Low-Cost Hero

Amidst these Chinese giants, the only low-cost European hope is the Dacia Spring: €12,000 and around 5,750 annual registrations in Spain. Enough to sustancia ilegal the top sales charts, but not enough to compete with Chinese machinery. A recurring joke is waiting for an electrified Dacia Sandero, the best-selling car for private buyers for 13 consecutive years. Meanwhile, the Spring remains the "almost": electric, cheap, but with outdated performance.

Disposable or Long-Term Investment?

One shadow hanging over Chinese EVs is durability. "They give you a six-year warranty, you buy another one," an analysis jokes. The throwaway philosophy is criticized: a Chinese car costing €18,000 may be replaceable, but a European one, costing double, is not. Concerns about spare parts and workshops permeate the debate: who will repair a finger-snap opening system in five years? The answer, for now, is uncertain.

With this landscape, Europe does not seem positioned to catch up. If European manufacturers don't accelerate, the EV ranking will remain a snapshot of the new industrial geography: China wins, Europe watches. And the Dacia Sandero, meanwhile, continues burning gasoline.