In 2025, the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles. As conflict in the Middle East pushes up fuel prices and boosts demand for EVs, Chinese carmakers are seizing the opportunity.

Driven by years of state-backed investment and industrial policy, China has quietly become the global powerhouse of EV production, leading the industry in technology, innovation and affordability, while the US struggles to keep up.

In today’s episode, we speak to Suranjana Tewari, Asia Business Correspondent for BBC News. She explains what BYD cars are really like, and how China won the EV race.

Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller

Executive Producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: A newly presented electric roadster Formula X of BYD's brand Fang Cheng Bao appears at the company’s booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China), in Beijing, China April 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov.