For years, the UK and European markets for electric vehicles have steadily grown as supply chains established and raw material suppliers scaled their operations, but 2025 appeared to finally be a breakthrough for European manufacturers.

According to Autovista24, Europe had a record-breaking 2025, selling almost a million more EVs compared to the year before and selling a million in just three months between October and December 2025.

This can be credited to a concerted commitment by manufacturers and governments to encourage the transition, but it has had a range of consequences for the market as a whole, which will continue to be felt into 2026 and beyond.

To understand what the market has to look for, it is important to explore the most interesting data from the Autovista24 report and its wider implications for motorists, suppliers and manufacturers.

 

Who Were The Biggest Winners In The UK And European EV Market?

With only a handful of exceptions, most major manufacturers that committed to the EV market saw increases in sales, some of which were substantial, whilst others were outright unprecedented.

What is quite impressive is the broad range of companies successful in the market, with even the biggest success in Europe only having slightly more than a tenth of the market and not even having a model which qualifies for the full band of the Electric Car Grant.

Whilst most companies were winners, there were some that did better than others, and here are the biggest triumphs last year.

Volkswagen

Nearly doubling their still-impressive sales figures from last year, VW has become the clear market leader in Europe with nearly half a million EVs sold.

Part of this is a huge commitment to launching EVs across its historically most popular markets, including:

  • The ID.3, the family hatchback equivalent of the petrol and diesel-powered Golf.
  • The ID.2, soon to be renamed the ID. Polo to match the petrol-powered small car of the same name.
  • The Tiguan, an EV crossover that is popular in an already popular market for EVs.
  • The ID. Buzz, the EV campervan that evokes the original Type 2 and Transporter small van.

Renault

Whilst Renault is ninth on the table of European EV brands with just over a third of the sales of VW, they have increased their sales year-on-year at a faster rate and have benefitted from the release of the popular retro-inspired Renault 5 hatchback and the small Twingo city car.

In terms of cultural capital, Renault managed to start a major conversation about desirable and cool electric vehicles in a way that had not been heard since the glory years of Tesla. Time will tell if this continues.

BYD

Chinese brand BYD had been steadily building a hugely popular EV foundation based on affordable, high-quality vehicles, but 2025 was when the market finally opened for them, and they began to establish a manufacturing base in Europe.

Their sales increased by a staggering 271.8 per cent, and with import restrictions in some of their other markets, the company known as “Build Your Dreams” will be hoping to build on this surging foundation into the next 12 months.

 

Who Were The Biggest Losers In The UK And European EV Market?

Conversely, whilst there were some huge winners, there was also a shuffling of the deck amongst major manufacturers, with some of the biggest car companies in the world suffering relative to the boom in the market.

Ford

Ford invested heavily in EVs, but their push towards their native US market in the wake of changing priorities has left them struggling, with the Guardian last month reporting that they were willing to lose $19.5bn to discontinue some of their biggest EV models.

They have not done terribly, with the Ford Puma being particularly successful and its appearance as part of the Electric Car Grant helping boost sales, but the shaky foundations away from Europe have turned a win into a loss.

Tesla

The fall from grace of the world’s biggest EV company will end up the subject of intense study and scrutiny for decades to come, going from Europe’s biggest EV manufacturer by a considerable distance to a lonely and distant fourth behind VW, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Aside from the major brand hits the company has received, the biggest issue is that the infamous Cybertruck has been an unmitigated disaster, and the failure to refresh the rest of its model line has meant that all of its competition has caught up, matched and exceeded its technological features and luxury feel.