The value of the Tesla brand has taken a 35 per cent dive over the last 12 months, according to an annual survey of the world’s most valuable brands – in which arch-rival BYD made the top-100 list for the first time.
The Interbrand Best Global Brands Top 100 has been running for more than 25 years and evaluates the brand value of some of the world’s biggest companies.
It uses a combination of factors including revenue, presence, profitability, public profile and ‘brand strength’ to rank brands across all fields.
This year Tesla slid from its 12th-place ranking in 2024 to sit 25th, with its value judged to be US$29.5 billion (A$45.6bn) less than it was a year ago – a reduction of 35 per cent.
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It comes as Tesla suffered significant sales declines in Europe, China, the US and Australia for a variety of reasons. This included both CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in US and global politics, as well as production gaps between model changeovers.
Despite the fall, the electric vehicle (EV) maker remained the fourth most valuable automotive brand on the list.
Toyota placed highest of all automakers in sixth overall – as it did in 2024 – and was valued at US$74.2 billion (A$114.7bn), a year-on-year improvement of 2.0 per cent.
Mercedes-Benz was the next-best auto brand in 10th (previously 8th), and its value fell by 15.1 per cent to US$50.1 billion (A$74.2bn), with BMW ranked 14th (10th in 2024), ahead of Tesla in 25th.
Chinese brand and Tesla arch-rival BYD cracked the top 100 for the first time, ranking 90th to sit one place behind Kia.
“BYD is the biggest disruptor in the automotive market since Tesla came onto the scene,” Interbrand global chief strategy officer, Manfredi Ricca, said in a statement.
“It has made huge strides in the European market as it looks to expand from its Asian base… however, BYD needs to be wary. This growth can’t be sustained without investment in building its brand narrative.”
The news comes as rival GWM Haval told CarExpert it believes that BYD’s growth in Australia, where it became the first Chinese brand to achieve a top-five sales ranking in June 2025, is not sustainable.
BYD wasn’t the only Chinese car-making brand in the list, with Xiaomi – one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers, which began making cars in 2024 – ranked 81st, one place behind Facebook.
Chip-maker Nvidia, also tied up in the automotive supply chain, achieved the biggest jump in the list’s history, its value up 116 per cent to US$43.2 billion (A$66.8bn) to rank 15th.
Apple topped the list as the world’s most valuable brand, valued at US$470.9 billion (A$728.1bn), ahead of Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Samsung.
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