Global EV Sales Leaders — Top Selling Brands & OEMs

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After publishing our report on the top selling EV models in the world in November, here’s the complementary report on the auto brands and groups leading EV sales around the world.

Chinese records edition

In November, BYD remained at the helm, but sales were again down YoY, as BYD’s plugin hybrid sales continued to decline. Have we reached peak BYD? Time will tell, but I believe in the long run, no single OEM will have more than 10% market share. Currently, BYD still has twice that much….

On the podium, this time there weren’t any surprises. Tesla was second, despite continuously falling sales, while Geely scored yet another record month thanks to strong performances throughout the lineup — six models posted 10,000-plus unit performances in November (the Xinguan, Panda Mini EV, Galaxy E5, Galaxy M9, Galaxy A7, and Starship 7).

And while this is not yet enough to remove Tesla from the runner-up position, it’s only a matter of time until that happens. If not in 2026, then surely it will happen in 2027, or 10 years after the last time Tesla didn’t win silver or gold.

Especially because until 2027, Tesla won’t have a new model that can change its fortunes around. The Cybercab, assuming it will have a steering wheel and pedals, won’t sell more than 150,000 units/year once production is at full speed, in 2027. The Roadster, if it lands by then, will sell a fraction of this. So, the best that Tesla can expect to sell at the end of 2027 is around 1.7 million units…. Which is the lower limit of what Geely should sell that year.

Speaking of record performances, a few more Chinese makes have beaten their previous record bests in November, with the highlights being #6 AITO (51,707 units) and #12 Fang Cheng Bao (35,988). The two high end off-road brands basically only operate in China, so both still have huge potential for growth elsewhere.

And while selling AITOs in volume outside of China can prove tricky, with Scandinavia, Turkey, Israel, and a few ASEAN countries as possible low hanging fruit for the startup, the Premium arm of BYD already has detailed plans for overseas expansion, with Europe, Australia, and some ASEAN markets already locked in for deployment in 2026.

Still in China, GAC’s Aion brand had its best result of 2025, scoring 36,000 registrations, with markets like Indonesia and Thailand giving tail wind to the Guangzhou-based brand, which has seen better days at home.

Outside the top 20, we should highlight two brands that hit record results. Starting with BAIC–owned Arcfox, thanks to the success of its T1 compact hatchback, it had over 26,000 deliveries. Another record performer is VinFast, with the Vietnamese make once again reaching record highs — in this case, 23,048 units, in no small part thanks to the success of its new Limo Green 7 seater.

In the YTD table, there wasn’t much to report at the top. BYD is well ahead of everyone else, despite the current slowdown, while #2 Tesla has a significant advantage over #3 Geely. Similarly, Geely has a significant advantage over #4 Wuling.

Going into December, the first point of interest lies in the 5th position, with Volkswagen trying to hold Leapmotor in 6th. With 21,000 units separating them and just one stage to go, the German make should have its position secured, but must have a close eye on the Chinese startup if it wants to avoid last-minute surprises….

There were a few changes in the table, all below #8 Xpeng. AITO surpassed Li Auto and is now the new 9th placed brand.

Aion took profit from its good month and surpassed Volvo, with the GAC Group brand now in 14th.

Finally, Audi climbed one position, to 17th, allowing the German make to continue to float among the top 20 EV brands.

Looking at registrations by OEM, no major news at the top, with the podium bearers firm in their positions. But big news came just below them — SAIC surpassed Volkswagen Group!

And with SAIC having surpassed Tesla in both the months of October and November, next year we will likely see a 100% Chinese podium on the OEM table, especially considering Tesla’s ongoing share bleed: This year’s 7.8% share compares badly with the 10.4% share the Texan OEM had 12 months ago, and even more poorly compared to where it was 24 months ago — at the time, Tesla had 13.3% share!

We might even see current 5th placed Volkswagen Group challenge Tesla’s #4 spot in 2026, especially if the rollout of the new generation of small EVs (VW ID.Polo, ID.Cross, Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq…) turns out to be a success.

On a different note, although 2026 should be too soon for Geely to challenge BYD’s domination of the EV market, if current market dynamics continue as they have, 2027 could be the year that Geely will be strong enough to go against BYD in the race to be the best selling OEM in the plugin car market. And competition is welcome….

Outside the top 5, most OEMs (Chery, Changan, BMW Group, Hyundai-Kia…) lost share, but #10 Leapmotor (2.9% share, up 0.1% compared to October) is starting to appear on the OEM radar. For now, it is not a major player, but looking into 2026, the startup brand should start making an impact, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it ended 2026 in 7th, above BMW Group or Hyundai–Kia.

Looking just at BEVs …

While BYD (16.9%, up from 16.8% in October) is stable in its leadership position, Tesla (11.8%) managed to gain some ground over #3 Geely (10.6%, down 0.1%), so it should win the silver medal this year.

Next year? Bronze.

Comparing Geely and Tesla now to where they were a year ago, the contrast is stark. In November 2024, Tesla had 16.2% share, while #3 Geely had only 8.5% share….

And to think that in November 2023, Tesla was the undisputed leader, with 19.2% share!

In 4th, SAIC (7.9%) kept its distance over #5 Volkswagen Group (7.2%) and has again secured the 4th position in 2025.

In the C-League, #6 Hyundai–Kia (3.7%, down 0.1%) continues to suffer from the US sales hangover, but still has enough distance over #7 Changan and #8 BMW Group, both with 3.3% share, to enjoy the 6th position in 2025.

As for these last two, Changan and BMW Group, the difference between both was reduced from 500 units in October to the current 30 units, so the race between these two should be exciting to see in December.

And once again here, while legacy OEMs are losing share, including the Chines ones (Changan, Chery, etc.), it is the Chinese startups that are gaining share. #9 Xpeng (3.2%) and #10 Leapmotor (3.1%) are looking to get into the race for the 7th position, all while #11 Xiaomi (3%, up 0.1% in November) continues to gain share and hopes to reach the 7th (6th?) position in 2026.