BMW reclaims second place in new electric-car registrations

Tesla, which had occupied a podium position in the previous reporting period, slipped to fourth place in the second quarter with 16,000 new registrations. Industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer explains the development with sharp price cuts that Tesla had made around the turn of the year. "These are relatively old cars, but with the prices they are competitive – you can also see that in the registration figures," says Dudenhöffer. The Model 3 and Model Y are comparatively older model lines, but convince buyers through their pricing.

Tesla had already sold about one and a half times as many cars in Germany in the first half of the current year as in the entire year 2025. Nevertheless, the brand falls behind BMW and Mercedes in the current quarterly comparison. This slump contrasts with earlier losses that Tesla, according to Dudenhöffer, had also suffered because of Elon Musk's political activities. Now, lowered prices are apparently driving rising unit figures again.

BMW: discounts and the New Class as pillars

According to Dudenhöffer, BMW owes its jump back to second place partly to the high discounts the Munich-based manufacturer is currently offering. The company has thereby convinced customers not least on price. An additional boost from the New Class is not visible in the figures, however, as deliveries have not yet ramped up broadly. However, a correction report from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur shows that, based on additional information from BMW, the New Class already contributed more than 4,000 new registrations in the second quarter – even though the bulk of the success stems from the existing models.

Chinese manufacturers on the rise, BYD falters

Mercedes follows in fifth place with 15,700 new registrations. Mercedes thus remains clearly ahead of the Chinese manufacturers, even though BYD, Leapmotor, MG Roewe, and XPeng combined are pushing into a similar dimension as Mercedes, according to the available data. BYD, however, suffered a minor setback, falling from twelfth place in the first quarter to thirteenth. "At least in the second quarter, BYD had to absorb a minor setback: the brand dropped from twelfth place in the first quarter to thirteenth," the analysis states.

MG Roewe and XPeng each recorded more than 2,000 new registrations – each of the two Chinese manufacturers thus surpasses the 2,000 mark. Leapmotor jumped from 18 to 15, one of the most notable improvements among the newcomers. Overall, industry expert Stefan Bratzel says, electromobility is reaching "increasingly broader buyer groups." Competitive pressure in Germany remains high: "Chinese automakers will try to gain further market share with a strong price-performance ratio. Those who cannot hold their ground here will be among the losers in the medium term and could exit the market in the long run," Bratzel warns.

Market forecast: losers and winners

The shifts are also a reflection of the high competitive intensity in the German e-car market. "Due to the high competitive intensity, market shares among automakers in Germany will be redistributed," Bratzel expects. This redistribution affects not only the Chinese brands, but also European manufacturers fighting for positions. Manufacturers such as Leapmotor, MG Roewe, XPeng, and – with caveats – BYD show very different dynamics: not all Chinese brands are catching up.

At the top of the table, Volkswagen remains the clear market leader. "The clear number one is still Volkswagen with 25,600 new registrations in the second quarter," the analysis states. The Wolfsburg-based company was even able to expand its lead because competitors like BYD are faltering and Tesla is no longer reaching the top spots. Behind VW, however, "the ranking is being thrown into disarray" – the gap between second and fifth place is narrow, and the positions are changing rapidly.

Analyst assessment and outlook

The current registration figures also provide clues for investors: on July 3, 2026, RBC Capital Markets rated BMW with "Sector Perform." Analysts thus see the Munich-based group on par with the industry average – which, given the recovered position, can be regarded as stabilizing, but does not yet represent an outstanding rating. For BMW, the further ramp-up of the New Class is likely to be decisive in securing growth in the coming quarters as well.

All in all, the Q2 data illustrate a German e-car market in motion: VW out front, BMW surprisingly strong in second place, Mercedes solid in fifth, Tesla in the middle of the field, and a growing but still small Chinese competition. The industry is bracing for a phase of rising buyer numbers – with all the pros and cons of intense price competition.