Data published by Sweden Mobility on Tuesday showed that the premium EV maker Polestar outsold Tesla in February.
The brand’s vehicle registrations in the country increased both sequentially and year-on-year in February, totaling 570 EVs.
The figures reflect an increase of 120 units compared with the previous month, during which sales nearly halved — a pattern typically observed in the automotive industry at the turn of the year.
Registrations rose by 15% year over year, after a slight 5% decline in January.
Polestar is owned by China’s Geely Holding Group and headquartered in Gothenburg.
The company recently opened its “largest ever showroom,” located in Sweden, as it works towards growing its European retail footprint to over 180 locations by 2027.
The company’s sales continue to heavily depend on the Old Continent, which accounts for more than 75% of all registrations worldwide, mainly due to the UK and Sweden.
Last year, Polestar sold a total of 7,594 vehicles in Sweden, a 28% jump from the prior year, mirroring similar patterns in other European markets.
In 2025, the brand’s sales in Sweden placed it ahead of Tesla, which sold 400 fewer units over the year.
Tesla
In January, however, the Elon Musk-led company ranked above the Geely-backed brand, selling 62 more units — while experiencing its first year-over-year increase in twelve months.
In the first month of the year, Tesla ranked fourth in Sweden’s fully electric vehicle sales, while Polestar was fifth.
In February, the positions reversed, with Polestar moving up to fourth and Tesla falling to fifth.
In Sweden, where Tesla has been battling a union blockade for the past two years, registrations totaled 512 units in January and 553 vehicles in February.
Despite the sequential increase, sales fell by 10% year-over-year.
Between January and December 2025, Tesla sales plunged by 66.8% to 21,894 vehicles.
EV Market
A total of 7,650 fully electric vehicles were registered in Sweden last month, accounting for 39.6% of the 19,341 new passenger cars sold overall.
The share of battery electric vehicles (BEV) increased by 29% year over year, driven by the introduction of smaller and more affordable models in the Swedish market.
“Many brands that initially launched larger models targeting wealthier customers with the ability to charge at home are now launching smaller electric cars for a broader customer base, many of whom live in multi-dwelling buildings,” Mobility Sweden wrote.
Despite that, the country’s best-sellers continue to be sport-utility vehicles (SUVs).
Volvo, which is based in Gothenburg and also backed by Geely, remained the best-selling brand in Sweden last month.
Among battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Volvo’s EX/XC40 was reportedly the best-selling model; however, Mobility Sweden does not differentiate between the hybrid and fully electric versions.
The smaller-sized EX30 followed, and Tesla‘s Model Y ranked third, accounting for 531 out of the 553 vehicles (96%) registered by the brand in February.
The Polestar 4 SUV ranked fifth behind Volkswagen‘s ID.7 Tourer, with 446 units sold last month.
Polestar is the only Chinese brand to rank among the top 20 in Sweden, while other Chinese automakers have struggled to gain a foothold in the market.
In addition to strong European brand loyalty, European Commission tariffs imposed in late 2024 contribute to higher prices, making Chinese automakers less competitive.
China’s automotive giant BYD sold 112 vehicles in Sweden last month, followed by Zeekr with 101 units and Lynk & Co with 90.
Premium brand Nio, meanwhile, registered no sales — marking the worst result since launching in the market in late 2022.
Production in Europe
Both EV makers import (most of) their lineup from outside the European Union.
Tesla produces the best-selling Model Y in Europe, at its Grunheide plant outside Berlin, Germany.
However, not all imports in Europe have been coming from the factory.
According to X user ‘piloly,’ who tracks Tesla registration data across European markets, the company recently registered the first Chinese-made Model Ys of the quarter in Norway.
Norway, where Tesla leads the auto industry, is not a part of the European Union and, therefore, does not impose the European Commission’s tariffs on China-produced electric vehicles.
Polestar‘s manufacturing operations, on the other hand, are located in China, the United States (through Volvo‘s South Carolina plant) and, as of late last year, South Korea (with Renault Korea).
With the upcoming models in its lineup — refreshed iterations of its current models and the Polestar 5 GT — the brand is also planning production in China.
The Polestar 6 will be a roadster and is likely to share its platform with the high-performance sedan; however, the company said last year that the Polestar 7 will be prioritized.
Polestar will partner with Volvo Cars “to have Polestar 7 manufactured in Kosice, Slovakia, in advance of the planned launch of the premium compact SUV in 2028,” it said.
