EV Brand Search Share in Germany: BYD and Polestar Surge as Tesla Retreats — March–April 2026
Results as of
Review March–April 2026: BYD and Polestar more than doubled their EV search share in Germany Tesla's share fell from 25% to 14%
Info
- Sample size
- n = 4,417
- Data date
- March–April 2026
- Segment
- All segments
- Platform
- Search
- Market
- Germany
Analysis
Tesla's share of EV-related German Google searches fell from 25% to 14% between March–April 2025 and the same period in 2026, with absolute Tesla EV-search mentions dropping 19% year-on-year. BYD's share doubled (from 8% to 14%, +153% in absolute mentions) and Polestar's tripled (from 6% to 13%, +205%). Škoda Elroq/Enyaq, BMW i/iX, Hyundai Ioniq, and Audi e-tron all gained ground — the entire non-Tesla EV landscape is broadening.
Tesla's German brand crisis meets a Chinese offensive
The Tesla search decline is not a random fluctuation. A Stern/Forsa poll found that 47% of Germans supported a Tesla boycott, and a study by the Uranos research firm found that 85% of German EV shoppers said they would not consider buying a Tesla — up from 65–75% in prior years — with two thirds citing CEO Elon Musk directly. Tesla's German new registrations fell by roughly 50% in 2025. BYD's surge in search interest mirrors its sales trajectory: the brand saw registrations in Germany soar over 1,000% in January 2026 alone, and BYD has targeted 1.5 million global overseas sales in 2026. Polestar recorded its strongest-ever first quarter in Q1 2026, with Germany identified as a key growth market. The broadening of EV search interest across multiple brands reflects the maturing of German EV Kaufinteresse beyond a single dominant player.
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Methodology
Brand attribution was determined by matching search queries to a priority-ordered keyword list (Tesla checked before generic EV terms to avoid double-counting). The denominator is all EV-classified searches in each year, so shares sum to 100% across all identified brands plus an unbranded EV category. Polestar queries were verified to cover vehicle and leasing searches (Polestar 1–5, leasing, software updates) rather than unrelated content. Tesla stock and toy-car queries were excluded. The data covers March–April 2025 and March–April 2026, with a total of 4,417 brand-attributed EV mentions across both periods.