MILAN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Tesla's TSLA.O new car registrations in Italy rose 85% year-on-year in December, but the U.S. electric vehicle maker posted an overall 18% drop for 2025, data from the Italian transport ministry showed on Friday.

The U.S. company sold 2,519 cars in Italy last month, accounting for a market share of 2.3%.

In the full-year 2025 registrations of Tesla's new cars in the country amounted to 12,847 units, or a market share of 0.8%, down from 15,650 in 2024.

In 2025, registrations of Tesla's Chinese competitor BYD 002594.SZ, which also sells hybrid cars in Italy, amounted to 23,621 in the country.

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari, editing by Philippe Leroy Beaulieu)

((giulio.piovaccari@thomsonreuters.com))