Between January and March 2025, global BEV deliveries increased by 37.8% year on year, according to data from EV Volumes . This brought the sales total to 2.74 million units. March bolstered this performance, with a gain of 38.5% up to 1.13 million deliveries.

Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) saw lower volumes and growth. With deliveries up by 30% in the first three months of the year, the powertrain recorded 1.56 million sales. After a slightly slower January and an improved February , the global PHEV market grew by 29.2% in March. This equated to 604,046 units taking to roads worldwide.

China led the global PHEV market. 69.8% of all PHEV sales took place in the country in the first quarter. This was up by 3.7 percentage points (pp) from the same period in 2024.

The Tesla Model Y emerged as the best-selling BEV globally in the first quarter of 2025. With 201,773 units delivered, it accounted for 7.4% of the all-electric car market. Two markets drove demand, with 40.6% of the Model Y’s deliveries occurring in China and 34.8% in the US.

A more affordable version of the Tesla Model Y was launched earlier in May, as reported by Reuters . The long-range rear-wheel drive version could cost approximately $44,990 (€39,903) in the US, before a $7,500 federal tax credit. The carmaker will be hoping this more accessible pricing will help it stay ahead of its competitors.

The Geely Geome Xingyuan continued its descent, coming fourth at the end of the quarter. It recorded 89,215 sales, with a 3.3% share of the global BEV market. The Wuling Mini was next with a 3.2% hold and 89,185 sales.

In sixth was the Xiaomi SU7 with a 2.8% market share and 75,921 deliveries. The BYD Yuan Up, also known as the Atto 2, soared into the top 10 with a market share of 2.1% and 58,097 sales. The BYD Yuan Plus, known as the Atto 3 in some markets, also climbed the rankings with 57,763 deliveries, representing 2.1% of the market.

The Xpeng M03 fell to ninth in the year-to-date table with a share of 1.7% and 47,130 sales. Finally, the Geely Panda Mini came 10 ^th with 42,792 deliveries and a 1.6% hold of the global BEV market.

Tesla Model Y still leads

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling BEV in March. However, it recorded a year-on-year drop in sales of 24.7%. 89,016 units were delivered to customers. As a result, its market share was almost halved from 14.4% to 7.8%.

Its sedan sibling, the Tesla Model 3, was able to hold onto second place as its deliveries increased by 30.5% to 54,197 units. However, increased competition meant its market share fell by 0.2 percentage points (pp) to 4.8%.

The Wuling Mini came third with 42,184 deliveries, up by 162.9%, pushing its share from 1.9% to 3.7%. Then followed the BYD Seagull, with sales climbing by 36.7% to 38,276 units, its market share remained static at 3.4%.

Taking fifth, the Geely Geome Xingyuan recorded 32,481 deliveries in its seventh month since launching. It captured 2.9% of the global BEV market. Not far behind was another more recent market entrant, the Xiaomi SU7. In its 12th month in the market, it recorded 29,256 deliveries and took a 2.6% share.

The BYD Yuan Up managed 26,000 sales, taking a 2.3% share. Its stablemate, the BYD Yuan Plus, posted 22,554 global deliveries, a decline of 18.6% year on year. Therefore, its hold on the market slipped by 1.4pp to 2%.

The Wuling Bingo finished the month in ninth with 17,420 sales. This marked a rise of 43.5% as its share remained steady at 1.5%. The BYD Dolphin represented the same amount of global BEV deliveries, with its market hold falling 0.6pp. It saw deliveries decline by 1.9% to 16,910 units.

Eight BYD PHEVs in top 10

BYD took eight of the top 10 slots in the global PHEV table in the first quarter of 2025. The BYD Song Plus, also known as the Seal U, was the best-selling plug-in hybrid with a share of 5%. In total, 78,095 of these models were delivered across the world, nearly three-quarters of which were delivered in China.