Tesla returns to growth in Europe, but double-digit decline in Italy
Tesla sees a plus sign in France, Spain, Denmark and Norway after months of decline. Global Q3 figures expected Thursday: estimates between 445,000 and 470,000 deliveries
Key points
Tesla is returning to growth in several European markets, breaking a 2025 hitherto characterised by declining numbers. In September, according to national associations, the American manufacturer's sales were up 2.7% in France and 20.5% in Denmark, where the updated version of the Model Y SUV was the country's best-selling car. Norway also did well, with +14.7% and the Model Y - Model 3 pair topping the charts, and Spain, where registrations grew 3.4% driven by a 60% jump in the Model Y. Sweden, on the other hand, remains critical, with a 64% year-on-year slump, albeit up from its August low.
In Italy double-digit decline, Chinese fly
Instead, the decline in sales in Italy continues. In fact, Tesla is once again falling by double digits. In September, registrations fell by 25.6 per cent to 1,450 units, a larger drop than in the European Union. As data published by the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport show, the drop in Italy follows the declines in August (-4.37%), July (-4.99%) and June (-66.01%). Thus, the balance for the first nine months of the year remains negative, with 8,791 registrations, down 33.36% compared to the same period in 2024. In the whole of 2024, Tesla registrations were down 5.91%.
It is a different story for the Chinese, however, which recorded a strong step forward: MG Motor, a group controlled by the colossus Saic Motor, registered 3,810 cars in Italy in September (+17.96%, with the year-to-date total at +31.07%). Omoda/Jaecoo, part of the Chery Group, also registered 1,626 cars, 229.15% more than in the same period last year, with the 2025 total at 9,241 (+792%). Byd, which entered the MIT tables in recent months having exceeded the relevance threshold, registered 2,471 cars, up 1.95%, with the 2025 total jumping to 14,875 cars sold (+1,279%).
And the European budget remains negative
The European picture remains fragile: in the first eight months of the year, Tesla sales fell by 42.9 per cent in the EU and 32.6 per cent in the continent as a whole. In August, China's BYD overtook Tesla in EU registrations for the second time this year, a sign of increasing competitive pressure from Asian and European manufacturers. According to industry analysts, the revival offered by the restyling of the Model Y will not be enough without an expansion of the range: the last mass-market model introduced by Tesla was in 2020.
Competition is not the only challenge. In recent months, CEO Elon Musk's image has fuelled divisions: from support for Donald Trump to sympathies towards extreme right-wing formations in Europe, elements that have reduced the brand's appeal to a part of the public more attentive to environmental and social issues.
