Europe's Most Popular Plug-In Hybrid Last Year Was This BYD

In its first full year on sale in Europe, BYD’s PHEV crossover outsold fan favorites like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Volvo XC60.

BYD Seal U DM-i

Photo by: BYD

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jan 21, at 3:58am ET

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The BYD Seal U was Europe’s best-selling plug-in hybrid last year.
It was the model’s first full year on sale in Europe, but it was enough to overtake longstanding rivals.
The Seal U sold over 70,000 units in 2025, and it has a lot to do with the price.

China missed a top spot on the list of best-selling electric cars in Europe last year, but it made up for it in the plug-in hybrid segment. That’s because the BYD Seal U, a crossover that’s roughly the same size as a Tesla Model Y, secured the top spot on that list.

Despite it having its first full year on sale in Europe in 2025, the BYD Seal U plug-in hybrid outsold longstanding household names like the Volkswagen Tiguan, Volvo XC60 and Ford Kuga. Last year, the Seal U crossover sold 72,667 units in the region. At the same time, Volkswagen’s Tiguan had 65,899 sales, and the Volvo XC60 found 60,088 new customers, according to figures from DataForce, quoted by Automotive News.

BYD Seal U DM-i

Photo by: BYD

The Tiguan recorded a massive 177.9% increase over 2024, but the XC60 PHEV stayed relatively steady, with a slight 1.4% decline year over year. Ford’s Kuga, which is sold as the Escape in the United States, was the fourth best-selling PHEV last year, with 41,983 units, down 3.8% compared to 2024.

BYD’s Seal U is a newcomer, and it doesn’t really have any outstanding features compared to its European rivals, but it climbed to the top nonetheless. In fact, the Seal U’s high-voltage battery capacity, charging speed and all-electric range are all below what the Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV offers.

Best-selling PHEVs in Europe in 2025

Source: DataForce

Rank Model 2025 sales % Difference from 2024 1 BYD Seal U 72,667 N/A 2 Volkswagen Tiguan 65,899 +177.9% 3 Volvo XC60 60,088 -1.4% 4 Ford Kuga 41,983 -3.8% 5 Mercedes-Benz GLC 38,810 -7.8% 6 Toyota C-HR 37,383 +144.2% 7 BMW X1 37,366 -7.9% 8 Jaecoo 7 33,192 N/A 9 MG HS 29,894 +222.9% 10 Skoda Kodiaq 28,982 +247%

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The BYD Seal U can go up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) in electric mode, courtesy of its 18.3-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. When the state of charge drops, it can be recharged from an AC source at up to 11 kW, or from a DC fast charger at a measly 18 kW.

Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Tiguan has a 19.7 kWh nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) traction battery that enables a theoretical all-electric range of up to 76 miles (126 km). When it’s time to recharge, it can accept up to 40 kW from a DC fast charger, going from 10% to 80% state of charge in 26 minutes.

Besides the electric parts, both crossovers have a 1.5-liter gas engine under the hood, so how did BYD convince so many people to buy a car that has been a no-name until recently? Simple: price.

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In Germany, the entry-level Seal U crossover, which is quite well appointed, starts from €39,990 ($46,800), while its closest rivals are nowhere near that. The cheapest Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid PHEV retails for €52,215 in Germany ($61,100), while the posher Volvo XC60 PHEV starts from €67,990 ($79,600). Not even the Ford Kuga can match BYD’s aggressive pricing, with the Kuga PHEV starting from €47,100 ($55,100).

Overall, the European plug-in hybrid market passed the one million mark last year, reaching nearly 1.3 million sales, a serious 33.5% increase over 2024 and a sign that more European car buyers want to experience electric driving. But while some shoppers aren’t ready to give up on the combustion engine just yet, many more have already switched to EVs, with all-electric car sales reaching nearly 2.6 million units last year in Europe, up 29.7% from 2024.

Gallery: BYD Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid (European version)

BYD Seal U DM-i

Source: BYD