European carmakers risk falling behind as Chinese leaders gain ground in EV global race
BERLIN, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) released its third Global Automaker Rating. The study shows that China-based automakers are accelerating their lead in the electric car market race, while Europe's top automakers are struggling to maintain their position.
The Global Automaker Rating offers an annual, data-driven rating of automakers' progress toward a zero-emission future based on their sales, technology performance, and strategic commitments. Using 10 custom-built metrics for 2024, the study rates the world's 21 largest automakers.
"This year's rating highlights that 2024 was a missed opportunity for European carmakers. As global car markets accelerated toward electrification, export-reliant German automakers are left behind and feel the pressure. A strong domestic market for electric vehicles in Europe could still shift the momentum. The EV market sales in 2025 are already promising, but the stakes continue to rise," stated ICCT Europe Director Dr. Peter Mock.
The "Leaders" in the rating are, for the third consecutive year, U.S.-based Tesla and China-based BYD. However, for the first time, BYD exceeded Tesla in global battery electric car sales last year, with a 25% increase compared with 2023.
This year's rating shows that the market dominance of China-based automakers is accelerating. They occupied the top 5 positions in zero-emission vehicle class coverage, and 5 of the top 6 spots for electric car sales share. Companies like Geely and SAIC have already reached a 50% electric vehicle sales share, meeting their 2025 targets a year ahead of schedule. China now accounts for over 11 million electric vehicles sold annually – more than half of global EV sales.
In contrast, German and French automakers lost ground in the electric car market in 2024. BMW's zero-emission vehicle sales score rose by only 2 points, while VW, Mercedes, Stellantis, and Renault each lost 1 point. The class coverage of their zero-emission vehicles saw minimal or no improvement.
The strategic vision metrics also marked a shift in direction, with both BMW and Renault scaling back their ambitions for zero-emission vehicle targets. Their respective brands, MINI (BMW) and Dacia (Renault), dropped their goals to achieve 100% global zero-emission vehicle sales by 2031 and 2035, respectively. VW and BMW were also downgraded on their battery recycling metric due to the lack of evidence on announced plans and partnerships.
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