Data released by New Automotive for January highlights a sharp drop in Tesla's UK battery-electric vehicle sales, underscoring intensifying competition in the market. Tesla delivered 647 BEVs in the UK during the month, a decline of more than 57% compared with the same month a year earlier. That performance left Tesla selling less than half the number of BEVs recorded by BYD in the UK for January.
BYD reported 1,326 BEV sales in the UK for January, an increase of nearly 21% year-on-year, according to the New Automotive figures. U.S. peer Ford led the UK's BEV market in January, more than doubling its deliveries to 2,271 units.
The fall in Tesla deliveries was the steepest among major manufacturers in the month and stood in stark contrast to the 6.4% year-on-year decline recorded for overall UK battery-electric car sales in January. Across all fuel types, total UK car registrations fell 4.6% to 133,571 vehicles in January, the data showed.
Industry observers and the research group's data point to mounting pressure on Tesla as its aging model range competes with a wave of newer offerings from Chinese marques. The company has introduced lower-priced variants of the Model Y and Model 3 in an effort to revive UK demand, but those moves have not prevented the month-on-month slide recorded in January.
New Automotive's dataset also notes factors beyond product competitiveness that have affected Tesla's standing in Europe, including scrutiny related to the company's chief executive and his publicly stated backing of far-right figures, which has been linked to market share losses across the region.
Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK, said that British consumers continue to move toward plug-in vehicles and away from non-plug options. She also cautioned that month-to-month BEV numbers can be volatile, particularly after an unusually strong December and as manufacturers manage early-year product mix and compliance strategies.
For market participants tracking volumes, the January snapshot highlights the shifting competitive landscape within the UK BEV segment. While Tesla's deliveries contracted sharply, Chinese entrants like BYD and established automakers such as Ford expanded their footprints in the month, contributing to a reordering of market share among BEV suppliers.