BP vs Volkswagen: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
BP reported $189.3B of revenue in FY2025 and $55M of net income. Volkswagen reported ~$363.8B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$7.5B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
BP
- Latest revenue
- $189.3B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $55M
- Net margin
- 0.0%
- Revenue growth
- -5.1% a year, FY2023–FY2025
Volkswagen
- Latest revenue
- ~$363.8B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$7.5B
- Net margin
- 2.1%
- Revenue growth
- +6.5% a year, FY2021–FY2025
Financial summary
BP
BP's 2025 revenue was $189.3 billion, nearly flat on 2024's $189.2 billion and below 2023's $210.1 billion. Underlying replacement-cost profit, the measure BP and analysts use to strip out inventory effects and one-off items, fell to $7.5 billion from $8.9 billion in 2024 as oil prices weakened, and profit attributable to shareholders was just $55 million after fourth-quarter charges. Operating cash flow was $24.5 billion and net debt ended the year at $22.2 billion. In February 2026 the board suspended buybacks so surplus cash could go to the balance sheet. Higher oil and gas prices linked to the conflict involving Iran, plus strong trading, lifted underlying replacement-cost profit to $3.2 billion in Q1 2026 and $5.7 billion in Q2 2026. With the Q2 results BP raised its quarterly dividend 4% to 8.66 cents per share and guided to $13.5-14 billion of capital spending for 2026.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen Group reported ~$364 billion (EUR 321.9 billion) in 2025 sales revenue, slightly below ~$367 billion (EUR 324.7 billion) in 2024, and an operating result of ~$10.1 billion (EUR 8.9 billion), a 2.8% margin. Earnings were held down by U.S. tariffs, restructuring provisions, the cost of Porsche's product strategy change, and weaker results from the Chinese joint ventures. Deliveries were broadly stable at 8.984 million vehicles. The December 2024 agreement with IG Metall for the Volkswagen brand in Germany avoids compulsory redundancies but plans to cut more than 35,000 jobs by 2030 through attrition and early retirement, and to reduce German plant capacity. In the first half of 2026 sales revenue was about $179 billion (EUR 158.1 billion), roughly flat, while the operating result fell 11.6% to about $6.67 billion (EUR 5.9 billion) (3.8% margin). In September 2026 Volkswagen cut its full-year forecast to about $356 billion (EUR 315 billion) in sales revenue and an operating margin of up to 1%, citing China, a faster shift to EVs, a roughly $6.78 billion (EUR 6 billion) goodwill impairment on the Porsche segment, and extra restructuring and China impairments.
Revenue and profit by year
BP
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $189.3B | $55M | 0.0% | +0.1% | Source |
| FY2024 | $189.2B | $381M | 0.2% | -10.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $210.1B | $15.2B | 7.3% | — | Source |
Volkswagen
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$363.8B | ~$7.5B | 2.1% | -0.8% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$366.9B | ~$12.1B | 3.3% | +0.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$364.2B | ~$18B | 4.9% | +15.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$315.3B | ~$16.8B | 5.3% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$282.7B | ~$16.8B | 5.9% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
BP
- Upstream oil and gas production
Not formally reported
Sales of crude oil, natural gas and LNG from BP-operated and partner fields in the Gulf of America, North Sea, Brazil, Middle East, Azerbaijan, Trinidad, Egypt and US onshore basins. Reported as the Upstream segment from July 1, 2026.
- Refining and fuels marketing
Not formally reported
Refined products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel sold wholesale and through about 21,000 BP, Amoco, ARCO and Aral retail sites. This is where most of BP's $189.3B of 2025 sales revenue is booked, because it includes resold crude and products.
- Convenience, lubricants and EV charging
Not formally reported
Higher-margin non-fuel income from convenience stores (ampm, Thorntons, TravelCenters of America, M&S Food in the UK), Castrol lubricants (BP's share falls to 35% once the Stonepeak sale closes) and bp pulse charging.
- Supply, trading and shipping
Not formally reported
Physical and financial trading of crude, products, gas, LNG and power that optimises BP's own flows and earns trading margins; strong trading was a major driver of the $5.7B Q2 2026 underlying profit.
- Low-carbon energy
Not formally reported
Smaller revenue from renewable natural gas (Archaea Energy), biofuels, and BP's 50% share of offshore wind joint venture JERA Nex bp.
Volkswagen
- Passenger vehicle sales
- Premium and luxury vehicle sales
- Commercial vehicles
- Parts and aftersales
- Financial services
- Leasing and fleet services
- Software and mobility services
Business model and strategy
BP
How it makes money
BP earns money at each stage of the oil and gas chain. Upstream, it finds and produces crude oil and natural gas in the Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico), the North Sea, Brazil, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Oman, Trinidad, Egypt and US onshore basins; output averaged 2.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in Q1 2026 and 2.2 million in Q2 2026.
Growth strategy
BP's current strategy dates from its February 2025 reset, which raised upstream oil and gas investment to about $10 billion a year, cut planned spending on transition businesses to $1.5-2 billion a year, and set targets of $20 billion of divestments and $14-18 billion of net debt by 2027.
Competitive advantage
BP's edge rests on three things that are hard to copy. The first is deepwater know-how and infrastructure, including five operated production hubs in the Gulf of America and a growing position offshore Brazil. The second is one of the industry's largest supply, trading and shipping businesses, which turned volatile oil and gas prices into profit in Q2 2026.
Volkswagen
How it makes money
Volkswagen earns most of its revenue by selling new cars, vans, trucks and buses through brand groups: Core (Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles), Progressive (Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati), Sport Luxury (Porsche) and TRATON (Scania, MAN, International, Volkswagen Truck & Bus).
Growth strategy
Volkswagen's growth strategy centers on cost reduction, platform simplification, brand accountability, premium profitability, China-specific EV development, battery and software investment, hybrid and combustion optimization where demand remains strong, and selective partnerships such as Rivian and XPeng.
Competitive advantage
Volkswagen's advantage is industrial scale plus brand breadth. Few competitors can cover entry-level European cars, global volume SUVs, Audi premium vehicles, Porsche sports cars, Lamborghini supercars, Bentley luxury cars, Ducati motorcycles, Scania and MAN trucks, and a major financial services arm. The purchasing leverage and installed dealer base are hard to replicate.
Questions about BP vs Volkswagen
Which company has higher revenue — BP plc or Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
BP plc reported $189.3B (FY2025), while Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft reported ~$363.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft is the larger business, with BP plc reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of BP plc vs Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
BP plc's market capitalisation stands at $112.2B, while Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft's is $35.5B. BP plc carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft.
Which is more financially efficient — BP plc or Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
BP plc generates $2.02M / employee in revenue per employee, while Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft generates $549k / employee. BP plc shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do BP plc and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft make money?
BP plc and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. BP plc: BP earns money at each stage of the oil and gas chain. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft: Volkswagen earns most of its revenue by selling new cars, vans, trucks and buses through brand groups: Core (Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles), Progressive (Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati), Sport Luxury (Porsche) and TRATON (Scania, MAN, International, Volkswagen Truck & Bus).
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — BP plc or Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, BP plc trades at 0.6x P/S and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft at 0.1x P/S. BP plc commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is BP plc bigger than Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
By last reported revenue, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (~$363.8B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to BP plc ($189.3B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BP vs Volkswagen overview