Tesla's stint atop the EV tree may soon be over – and its replacement isn't who you'd think

For many years now, if you wanted to buy an EV, chances are you'd wind up looking at a Tesla. Regardless of your thoughts or feelings about the brand – and its owner, Elon Musk – the offering of its cars was, on paper, pretty compelling.

Fast forward to 2026, though, and the landscape is changing rapidly. Mounting concerns over brand affiliations coupled with an EV market which is stronger than ever mean customers have more choice.

Now, it looks like Tesla's time at the top of the pile has come to a close, with a new report suggesting that Chinese car manufacturer, BYD, has topped it for worldwide sales this year. The brand – whose acronymised name stands for Build Your Dreams – suggests it has sold 2.25 million EVs in the past year.

Tesla's figures are still unannounced at the time of writing, but analysts expect it to be significantly lower, at around 1.65 million total sales. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, though – here in the UK, BYD's entry point is almost half the price of Tesla's, making it a much more attractive prospect for buyers.

We have seen Tesla attempt to change its fate in the USA, with a pair of more affordable models launched in a bid to boost sales. But there's still no getting around the fact that it's a pricey option.

It's also a great sign for the EV market as a whole. We've seen swathes of affordable EVs coming over from Asian countries in recent years, bringing luxurious appointments to new, lower price points.

Brands like BYD, but also Jaecoo, Omoda, MG and more, have all offered luxurious appointments at price points which put them within reach of the everyday driver. That's going to be a crucial part of the adoption of EVs more widely, and shows some good health for the market moving forward.