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There were over 2.1 million plugin vehicles registered in September, a new record, with BEVs representing 1 out of 5 cars sold worldwide.
Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 22% in September 2025 compared to September 2024. There were over 2.1 million registrations, which is a new all-time record. BEVs grew 32% YoY to a record 1.4 million units, while plugin hybrids went up by only 6%, to around 700,000 units.
Although, it should be mentioned that this drop in growth rests solely on the recent slowdown in PHEV demand in China, because if we were to remove that country from the tally, PHEV sales would actually be up a robust 44% to a record 201,000 sales. And September’s US sales peak wasn’t even a factor, because if we were to remove both China and the USA from the tally, PHEVs would have grown even faster, at 50%!
This means that, while we might be witnessing the first days of Peak PHEV sales in China, plugin hybrids still have a lot of room to grow in the rest of the world.
In the end, BEVs represented 21% share of the overall auto market (or 31% if we add PHEVs to the tally), pulling the YTD numbers to 17% BEV share (25% PHEV+BEV).
20 Best Selling EV Models in the World in September — Tesla’s #1 + #2 Positions Remind Their Fans of the Good Old Days
Regarding September’s best sellers, the big news is that Tesla won 1st and 2nd place, but not only that. Both models saw their sales hit a new high for a September month, with the leader Model Y hitting close to 141,000 deliveries and the Model 3 registering over 67,000 units. That’s a 16% growth rate for the crossover (and its best score since March 2023) and a 8% growth rate for the sedan (its best performance since June 2023).
So, are we back to the good old days of 2023, when Tesla was on a never-ending streak of record quarters?
Well … not quite. The truth is, if we remove its domestic market (which experienced a sales peak in Q3 due to the end of the $7,500 tax credit), while the Model Y still remained positive, at around 7% growth, the Model 3 fell by more than 15% YoY….
So, yes, old age is catching up to Tesla’s sedan, and the Model Y is still benefitting from the refresh implemented in January, but next year would be downhill for the crossover too if Tesla had stood still. Which it didn’t. Tesla has launched a 7-seat version of the Model Y — for now, only for China, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it became a global variant of the crossover. Tesla also launched the new, cheaper, “Standard” versions of both models. Will this be enough to stop the sales bleed? No idea, but I would like to leave an idea for Tesla here, in case sales continue to go down.
Tesla could create an even cheaper and bare basics version of both models!
They could call it — “Substandard”
You know the drill: smaller wheels, smaller battery, less powerful motor, crank windows, remove the screen (you can use Tesla’s app on your smartphone!), remove insulation material (it’s an EV, you don’t need insulation!), leaving the bare metal (interiors in the same colour as the exterior —how cool is that!?!?), etc., etc., etc.
Uber drivers would love it….
But I digress.
Looking at the rest of the competition, this time the bronze medal went to the tiny Wuling Mini EV, which scored over 54,000 registrations, its best result since December 2021.
That left the Geely Xingyuan off of the podium, but its sales continue to rise, and with exports now starting to some markets, it should continue to grow throughout Q4. So, it will be one of the main candidates for a podium position in 2026.
Below the small Geely, there is the usual BYD armada, with all positions from 5th to 12th belonging to the Shenzhen make.
Among them, the highlights are the fall from grace of the BYD Song, now 5th, with 46,000 sales, down 28% YoY. The sales implosion in its domestic market is being disguised by rising export numbers, which now represent 53% of all of the midsize SUV’s sales!
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for BYD, as its new BYD Sealion 06 jumped to close to 31,000 registrations, the #10 BYD Yuan Up also scored a record result (29,693 registrations), and the #11 BYD Dolphin had its best month since December 2023 (28,422 registrations).
Elsewhere, four models deserve a mention:
The cute looking Changan Lumin had its best month ever, thanks to 23,575 registrations, providing it with the 13th spot.
Xiaomi’s YU7 sports crossover continues to ramp up, reaching the 14th position thanks to 22,387 registrations.
The VW ID.4 had its best month since December 2023, thanks to a sales peak in the US market contributing decisively to the almost 20,000 units delivered in September. The German crossover was one of several models to benefit from the USA’s sales rush;
Finally, MG 4 registrations suddenly surged to 16,342 units, a new record for the nameplate, allowing it to join the table at #19. This is an interesting story, as it explains why it is so difficult for the same model to be successful everywhere. When the MG 4 started back in 2022, it had a pointy, sharp-looking design, with RWD/AWD and good handling skills that made it an instant success in Europe. Basically, it fulfilled the place in the market that could have belonged to Ford, if the company had created an electric Ford Focus. The thing is, the reception in Asia, and especially in China, wasn’t expected. So, this year, three years after launching the first generation, MG created a completely new model based on a new platform and FWD-only, which focuses on interior space and bears a more conventional design that struck a chord with Chinese buyers and made sales surge to unforeseen heights. And now, an interesting question: What will MG do next? Will it basically replace the previous generation for the new one, even if at a cost of sales in Europe and possibly elsewhere? Will it keep the older generation in markets where it is popular? Or will it sell both models at the same time, but with the new one having a new name? Decisions, decisions….
Off the table, the highlights are the continued ramp-up of the Deepal S05, with the compact crossover now reaching 12,378 units, and NIO’s mainstream brand Onvo scoring 10,997 deliveries of its new L90 large SUV, which seems to confirm it as a volume seller for the startup OEM.
With the recent sales rush happening in the USA due to the end of the EV tax credit, some model sales surged to record heights, in September, like the Hyundai IONIQ 5, which got a record 13,484 registrations, and the Audi Q6 e-tron, which hit a record score of 11,303 sales.
“What about the local US brands?” Well, basically only selling their EVs in North America prevents them from showing up on the radar, and even global models, like the Ford Mustang Mach-E (9,274 units in September), haven’t reached a minimum sales level (~10,000 units) to be considered relevant.
Top 20 EV Models YTD — Geely Xingyuan Climbs to 4th and Now Wants the Model 3’s Bronze Medal
In the year-to-date (YTD) table, the Tesla Model Y and BYD Song held their positions and should end the year in their usual spots, 1st and 2nd.
Below them, it seems that the #3 Tesla Model 3 has secured enough distance in September to defend itself from the #4 Geely Xingyuan in the last quarter of the year. Sure, the Model 3’s sales in the remaining months of 2025 will be painted in red, but the 47, 000 units of advantage could be enough to keep the small hatchback at bay. Will the Geely EV be able to go after the podium position of the Tesla Model 3? I would only place a bet at the end of November.
If that unlikely event does occur, then the Model 3 would fail to reach a podium position for the first time since 2018….
Off the podium, the first position changes benefitted BYD, which saw the Dolphin switch positions with its sibling the Yuan Plus, allowing the hatchback to climb to the 10th position while the Yuan Up profited from its record month and the slow sales of the Li Xiang L6 to go up one spot to #13.
The remaining position changes were the VW ID.4 jumping from #18 to #16, with the German crossover possibly securing a top 20 position this year, and the Changan Lumin jumping a few positions, in this case to #17.
Top Selling Brands & OEMs — Leapmotor Shines
In September, BYD remained at the helm, but sales were down YoY, as BYD’s plugin hybrid sales continued to decline. Have we reached peak BYD? We seem to have at least reached peak BYD PHEV, as the company’s plugin hybrid sales were down 26% YoY, making it the sixth consecutive month of declining sales….
Time will tell, but I believe in the long run, no single OEM will have more than 10% market share. Currently, BYD has twice that much….
Still on the podium, as expected, runner-up Tesla had a positive month, growing by 11% YoY to a record 212,401 registrations. That was thanks in no small part to the sales rush in its domestic market. Meanwhile, 3rd placed Geely once again broke into 6-digit sales level and scored a record 120,000 registrations.
Wuling was 4th, with 83,000 units, a new year best. It was followed by Volkswagen, which posted a strong 67,672 registrations, its best score since December 2022. The German make was immediately followed by the hottest startup of 2025, Leapmotor, which has been leapfrogging seemingly everyone else this year. In September, the Hangzhou-based company saw its sales jump 97% YoY, to 66,657 units. At this pace, I wouldn’t be surprised if sometime in 2026 they started posting 100,000 units/month scores….
#8 Xiaomi and #9 Xpeng are also on the rise as they try to ramp up deliveries as fast as Leapmotor.
Elsewhere, #11 Mercedes had its best result of the last 18 months. The German make is now going on the offensive. With the new CLA BEV starting to ramp up and the upcoming GLC and C-Class BEV models landing next year, 2026 should be a year of strong volume growth for the three-pointed-star brand, and with BMW set to also have a transformative year in 2026, next year seems to be a make or break year for the two premium German OEMs.
Still in Germany, #15 Audi had a record month, 33,539 registrations, no doubt helped by the US sales fever, something that also helped the Koreans, Hyundai (#12, 34,569 units) and Kia (#16, 33,066), to break their own record numbers.
#17 Ford had its best result ever (32,055 units), this being another beneficiary of the peak tide in the USA.
Below them, MG posted a rare top 20 position, in #18 thanks to a record 32,038 registrations, no doubt helped by the new-generation MG4’s warm reception in China.
Outside the top 20, we should highlight three brands that hit record results. Starting with the Geely-owned Lynk & Co, thanks to the success of its SUVs, it had over 26,000 deliveries. Another SUV-friendly brand, BYD’s FangChengBao, also reached record highs — in this case, 24,121 units. While VW’s value-for-money focussed brand, Skoda, also had a record performance, 21,073 registrations, 10,427 of them belonging to the hot-selling Elroq, thus contributing to Volkswagen Group’s record month (with over 148,000 registrations in September alone).
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, with the same being said about Geely and #4 Wuling.
So, the podium for this year is already set:
BYD: Will be its 4th consecutive Best Seller title, and its 7th in total, ever since it won its first back in 2015.
Tesla: The Texan brand will collect its 4th consecutive silver medal.
Geely: Might be hard to believe, but this will be Geely’s first podium appearance on the global stage. I am sure this will be the first of many….
As a performance note on Tesla, its YTD sales are down 6% YoY. At this pace, the Texan make will end the year at some 1.67 million units … and this will be its second consecutive year of falling sales.
And I am not even counting the expected sales downturn in the USA in Q4.
Better luck in 2026?
Well … apart from Standard (and Substandard) additions to the lineup, Tesla needs two things — volume sellers and brand new Model 3/Y models.
In the first case, they have hinted that they could place a steering wheel and pedals on the 2-seat Cybercab, but even if than happens, it won’t be the best seller that Tesla needs, as small coupes are a niche market. (Sure, not as niche as a Second Generation Roadster would be, but reaching 100,000 units/year would already be a major task for it.)
What they need is to add a rear bench and two extra doors, and make it a proper hatchback. But for that to happen, if a pedal-equipped Cybercab gets to be launched in 2026 (that alone is a big if), a hatchback version of it would only be launched around 2028….
And by then, the Model 3 would be 11 years old and the Model Y would be 8 years.
Which takes us to the second part of the list — the need for a new-generation Model 3/Y. While the Model Y is still competitive, the Model 3 is getting long in the tooth, as seen by its falling sales.
So, either Tesla starts working today on a new generation of its best sellers, prioritizing them instead of the Cybercab, or 2027 and 2028 will continue to be years of falling sales, no matter how many Standard or Substandard tricks they might pull out of their sleeves….
Back at the table, there was only one position change, but a significant one, Smartphone maker Xiaomi has surpassed automotive giant Toyota and is now 12th, despite selling EVs for fewer than two years. Crazy, right?
Looking at registrations by OEM, #1 BYD continues to slide, falling 0.4% share in September to 22.3%, but it is still quite comfortable in the lead. It has an advantage of 11.6% market share over #2 Geely, now at 10.7%, down from 10.8% in August.
In Tesla-land, the US make benefitted from the sales peak, raising its share to 8.3%.
Still, 8.3% is a significant 2.8 percentage point share drop YoY, so the sales problem continues, almost the opposite of Geely, which went up from 7.9% share in September 2024 to its current 10.7% share.
Below the podium, both #4 Volkswagen Group (+0.1%, to 7.1%) and #5 SAIC (6.6%) kept their positions. Both are comfortable in their top 5 positions, as 6th placed Changan (4.5%) is too far behind to pose any kind of threat.
Looking just at BEVs …
While BYD (16.7%) is stable in its leadership position, Tesla (12.6%, up 0.5% compared to August) gained precious ground over #3 Geely (10.8%, down 0.3%).
Still, comparing these two now to where they were a year ago, the contrast is stark. In August 2024, Tesla was the leader, with 17.5% share, while #3 Geely had only 7.8% share….
In 4th, SAIC kept Volkswagen Group at bay, but with 13,000 units separating these two, it will be interesting to see how the race develops in the rest of the year.
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