Chinese Automakers Gain Ground in Global EV Race as Other World Leaders Risk Falling Behind

New ICCT report reveals China’s growing advantage in EV sales as BYD edges past Tesla in global BEV sales for the first time.

WASHINGTON (June 17, 2025) – The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) today released its third annual Global Automaker Rating, showing that China-based automakers are building significant leads in the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) market. This finding reflects China’s broader leadership in the global EV transition, where the country now accounts for over 11 million electric vehicles sold annually – more than half of global EV sales.

Chinese manufacturers have leveraged their massive domestic market to build economies of scale and advance technologies. Now they are making gains in wider global markets. China-based automakers occupied the 5 top positions in ZEV class coverage, and 5 of 6 top positions for EV sales share, with companies like Geely and SAIC already reaching 50% EV sales share meeting their 2025 targets a year ahead of schedule.

This consistent progress by Chinese manufacturers shows the long-term strategic benefits of early, sustained investment in electrification. In contrast, automakers in the U.S. and EU face the dual challenges of catching up technologically while navigating increasingly uncertain regulatory environments.

Among the report’s key findings, BYD exceeded Tesla in global battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales for the first time in 2024, with a 25% increase in BEV sales and 47%
increase in combined BEV and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales compared to 2023. Both companies remain in the “Leaders” category of the rating.

“Our assessment revealed widespread improvement in BEV technology performance across the industry,” said Zifei Yang, ICCT’s Global Passenger Vehicle Lead and principal author of the report. “The vast majority of automakers demonstrated enhancements in energy consumption, charging speed, and driving range of BEVs sold to the market.

These gains were driven by both the introduction of high-performance new BEV models and market shifts toward more efficient, faster-charging, and longer-range
vehicles. GM and Honda made significant advancements by introducing high-performance models to their previously limited offerings, while companies like Geely,
Chang’an, and Chery improved substantially with new high-performance EV lines.”

In a significant milestone, India-based Tata Motors became the first major automaker to transition from the “laggard” group to the “transitioner” group by introducing new EV models and ramping up battery recycling and repurposing efforts in major markets. While automakers based in Japan and South Korea continue to lag, Honda and Nissan showed noticeable progress, with Honda introducing its first BEV model in the United States and Nissan clarifying its ZEV targets.

The report also highlights the increasing importance of manufacturing emissions in the transition to ZEVs. The newly introduced green steel metric evaluates automakers’ efforts to reduce steel-related emissions, which represent the largest contributor to vehicle manufacturing emissions after batteries. Automakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen that demonstrated greater commitment to renewable energy in manufacturing also scored well on green steel procurement.

“Investors increasingly recognize that automakers embracing the EV transition aren’t just preparing for regulatory compliance—they’re positioning themselves for longterm market leadership,” said Michael Kodransky, Senior Director, Climate and Energy, Transportation at Ceres. “This latest ICCT report provides valuable metrics that help investors distinguish between companies making substantive progress versus those merely making promises.”

“As China-based automakers expand globally, other leading global manufacturers face urgent pressure to accelerate their own transitions or risk losing competitive ground,” said Drew Kodjak, President and CEO of the ICCT. “The rapid evolution of the EV market in China has created technological and manufacturing advantages for companies there. For the wider global auto industry, this is no longer just about meeting future goals – it’s about remaining competitive today in a market that’s charging up.”

The ICCT’s Global Automaker Rating provides a data-driven analysis of automakers’ progress toward a zero-emission future based on their current sales, technology
performance, and strategic commitments. The full report and detailed results for all 21 automakers are available on the ICCT website.

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About the report

Publication details
Title: The Global Automaker Rating 2024/2025: Who is leading the transition to electric vehicles?
Authors: Chang Shen, Ilma Fadhil, Zifei Yang, Anh Bui, Marta Negri, and Stephanie Searle

Contact
Kelli Pennington: communications@theicct.org
Global Communications Manager

About the International Council on Clean Transportation
The ICCT is an independent, nonprofit research organization founded to provide exceptional, objective, timely research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. Our work empowers policymakers and others worldwide to improve the environmental performance of road, marine, and air transportation to benefit public health and mitigate climate change.