Volkswagen’s Electric Vehicle Sales Surge in Europe in the First Quarter
Volkswagen’s electric car sales have seen a significant surge in the first quarter of 2025, prompting the company’s CEO to declare that they are “shifting into the fast lane.” In Europe, Volkswagen has expanded its lead as electric vehicle sales have doubled. Despite this success, the auto giant is facing challenges in one key market.
Volkswagen delivered a total of 216,800 all-electric vehicles globally in the first quarter, marking a 59% increase from the previous year’s 136,400 deliveries. This growth has bolstered Volkswagen’s global EV market share from 6% to 10%. The strong growth in Europe and the US has helped offset the decline in deliveries in China. In Europe specifically, Volkswagen delivered over 150,000 EVs in the first three months of 2025, more than double the number from the previous year.
Volkswagen has solidified its position as the “clear BEV market leader in Europe,” holding approximately 26% of the market share. In contrast, Tesla’s sales have declined in every European market in the first quarter, except for the UK. In Germany alone, nearly every second electric vehicle came from a VW Group brand. With the introduction of new models like the ID.7 Tourer and Audi Q6 e-tron, Volkswagen’s orders in Western Europe have surged to around one million (980,000).
The top five best-selling EVs for Volkswagen globally were the ID.4 and ID.5 (43,700), ID.3 (28,100), Audi A4 e-tron (22,800), Å koda Enyaq (20,200), and ID.7 (19,100).
While Volkswagen has seen growth in Europe and the US, it is still facing challenges in China. The company attributes the decline in EV deliveries in China to an “intense competitive situation.” Despite Volkswagen’s struggles, BYD, a Chinese EV giant, has been making significant strides in the market. BYD sold a staggering 166,109 electric cars in China last month alone and has sold a total of 416,388 all-electric vehicles in the first three months of 2025.
With ambitious plans to expand overseas, Volkswagen is focusing on its new affordable EV lineup to stay competitive in the market. The company is set to launch its ID.2 next year, with a starting price of around 25,000 euros ($27,500). This will be followed by an SUV version and an even cheaper ID.1 in 2027. Volkswagen is banking on these new models to fend off competition from BYD and other EV leaders in the coming years.
As the EV market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Volkswagen and other global OEMs adapt to the changing landscape and technological advances in the industry.
