Tesla, registrations -45% in Europe in Q1. Chinese boom: MG +33.5% - Renault targets confirmed
Market share dropped from 2.4 per cent to 1.3 per cent, reflecting a clear downsizing of the Texan brand's presence in the Old Continent. What year will it be for Musk?
3' min read
3' min read
The first quarter of 2025 ended in the deep red on the sales front for Tesla in Europe. According to figures released by Acea, the European manufacturers' association, the Texan group, leader in battery electric cars, registered only 36,167 cars in the EU countries, a 45 per cent drop compared to the same period last year, while the market grew at double-digit rates (see below). Market share dropped from 2.4 per cent to 1.3 per cent, reflecting a clear downsizing of Elon Musk's brand presence in the Old Continent.
March confirmed the negative trend as well: Tesla recorded 18,224 new registrations in the EU, down 36% year-on-year, with the share shrinking to 1.8% from the previous 2.8%. Looking at the enlarged Europe (EU27 + EFTA + UK), the month ended with 28,502 units (-28.2%), while the quarterly total stood at 54,020 vehicles, down 37.2% and with market share dropping to 1.6% from 2.5%.
All this while, Acea reports, in March 2025, 1,422,628 cars were registered in Europe (EU27+Efta+UK), up 2.8% compared to the same month a year earlier. At the level of motorisation, the decline of conventional ones continues. Bevs (100% electric vehicles) recorded +23.6% to 242,913 units (15.2% market share), with strong progress also made by Hev hybrids (+21% and 35% market share, against +1% for plug-ins, which took 7.6% of the market). However, total registrations in the first quarter were 3,382,057, down 0.4% compared to the first three months of 2024. In the EU alone, March registrations fell 0.2 % to 1,029,519 units, when the quarter-on-quarter decline was 1.9 % to 2,715,008 units.
Returning to Tesla, the decline is dramatic, going beyond mere market numbers and also affecting the brand's image. In the United States, Tesla is under pressure for falling sales, also due to growing discontent with Musk, whose increasingly conservative political positions have fuelled boycotts among more progressive consumers. A reputational damage that could also reflect on European performance, where sensitivity to environmental and social issues is particularly high.
Musk tries to relaunch, focusing on an updated version of the Model Y and the introduction of 'cyber taxis'. But the market is not waiting. Competitors are advancing. The Volkswagen Group confirmed its leadership in Europe with 358,210 registrations in March (+10.3%), taking its share to 25.2%. In the quarter, the German group sold 875,875 units (+5.7%), or 25.9% of the market.
