Anna Barclay/Getty Images

Once upon a time, Tesla was the most popular electric vehicle (EV) brand on the planet. That's not surprising since it was one of the earliest, and many drivers swear by these cars, even though Consumer Reports ranked Tesla as the least reliable used car brand . Nonetheless, Tesla is quickly losing ground to the Chinese EV manufacturer BYD.

According to reports from outlets such as BBC , BYD sales now surpass Tesla vehicles by a significant margin. In 2025, Tesla sold 1.64 million vehicles worldwide, a 9% decrease from the previous year. Meanwhile, BYD saw an uptick in sales and managed to push 2.25 million EVs, a 28% increase from the prior year. However, this is only half the story.…