Top 10 global EV makes by battery capacity deployed
During the first two months of 2025, 126.0 GWh of battery capacity was deployed onto roads globally in all newly sold passenger EVs combined, 34% more than the same period last year.
Even with a full 59% of the global market for January and February, Asia Pacific still added fresh capacity at a noticeably faster rate (+38% year on year) than the Americas (+27%), which constitutes less than 18% of the global market in GWh terms, and Europe where the market expanded by 28%.
The top 10 makes made up 45% of the overall market in GWh terms and, as a group, saw 28% year-on-year growth to 57.0 GWh and experienced widely diverging fortunes.
At 15.1 GWh deployed, number one BYD grew at a respectable 17% globally, but buyers of new EVs helped the company’s Chinese rivals race ahead. BYD’s increasing reliance on PHEVs also saw its sales weighted average battery capacity drop by 11% in January-February to 33.8 kWh.
Xiaomi is the breakout performer, going from a standing start to capture the fourth position with 4.2 GWh deployed. On a sales weighted average basis, mobile phone maker Xiaomi’s so far only model on the market, clocks in at 91 kWh, only bested by Zeekr’s fleet, which averages 93 kWh.
Xpeng, placed sixth, upped battery capacity deployed by 260% even as the sales weighted average capacity of EVs sold over the two months fell by 20% year over year.
Leapmotor (ninth) recorded a 169% GWh expansion compared to the first two months of last year. Battery capacity of the average Leapmotor EV increased slightly to 54.3 kWh year over year. (The pictured Leapmotor T03 – retail price $8,500 – released in February will likely put a dent in that number going forward.)
Amsterdam-based Stellantis owns 20% of Leapmotor and the two companies have also set up a joint venture company to bring the Chinese automaker’s EVs to international markets.Â
With a notable exception the performance of Western makes fell below the Chinese high-flyers.
As widely reported, Tesla had a dismal 2025 opening with combined battery capacity down 9% to 14.4 GWh, but number seven Mercedes performed worse, slipping 13% year on year to 2.8 GWh. The luxury brand was also hurt by an 11% dip in average battery size to 50.2 kWh.
BMW managed to eke out a small gain, but Volkswagen had a massive start to 2025 with a 141% GWh surge. That was still not enough for the automaker to overtake upstart Xiaomi.
On a sales weighted average basis Volkswagen EVs sold in January and February sported a battery capacity of 61.9 kWh, up slightly from the same period last year.
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