Tesla registered 2,932 new cars in Germany in October, up 290.9% from 750 a year earlier, according to figures released November 4 by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). BYD registered 5,173 and Leapmotor registered 3,661, putting both Chinese brands ahead of Tesla.
Those numbers extend Tesla’s October rebound into a major European market. Yet Tesla held just 1.2% of Germany’s new-car registrations, compared to 2.0% for BYD and 1.4% for Leapmotor.
BYD Leads Tesla by Just 219 Registrations This Year
From January through October, Tesla registered 47,742 cars, up 206.1% from 15,595 a year earlier. BYD rose 216.1%, from 15,171 to 47,961, leaving them just 219 ahead. Both held about 1.9% of Germany’s market in total, according to the KBA.
Compared with October 2025, BYD’s German registrations rose 54.3%, from 3,353 to 5,173, while Leapmotor climbed 288.6%, from 942 to 3,661. Tesla increased 290.9%, but only from 750 to 2,932. That low starting point put Tesla at a disadvantage, but they are catching up.
Electric Cars Reached 37% of Germany’s New-Car Market
Germany registered 254,492 new cars in October, up 1.7% from 250,133 a year earlier. Fully electric registrations rose 79.5%, from 52,425 to 94,086, accounting for 37% of the market. Tesla made up about 3.1% of those electric registrations.
My Nordic report yesterday described a similar mismatch between large percentage gains and modest market shares in Sweden and Denmark. Tesla’s low German starting point followed the wider European decline EVXL covered last year.
Giga Berlin Built 7,000 Model Ys in One Week
Tesla’s manufacturing account reported building 7,000 Model Ys in one week on October 23. That exceeds the 2,932 Teslas registered in Germany during the entire month, but the factory supplies customers in other countries too: more than 30 markets, according to Drive Tesla.
Plant manager André Thierig announced a planned rise from 5,000 to 6,200 vehicles a week starting in July, alongside 1,000 new jobs, in a June 25 post. Tesla later targeted 7,500 vehicles weekly from October, with another 1,000 hires, Not a Tesla App reported. When Tesla posted the milestone on October 23, the plant was still just short of 7,500 weekly at 7,000. It ran at 54% of capacity in 2025, EVXL reported in July.
EVXL’s Take
Tesla’s rebound in Germany is substantial, but BYD’s narrow year-to-date lead shows how competitive the market has become. Giga Berlin’s output shows what the factory can build and how much demand they can sustain, not how many customers want to buy.
The better measure is whether Tesla can keep gaining share of Germany’s growing electric-car market in November and December. This will show if Tesla will become bigger and more competitive than the Chinese competition such as BYD and Leapmotor.
Sources: KBA, Reuters, Tesla Manufacturing, Drive Tesla, Not a Tesla App.
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting is by Damien Kesteloo, edited by Haye Kesteloo.
