by Tesla lost ground in Europe in 2025, despite the overall growth of electric car sales. The Model Y remains the most popular electric car, although its sales have halved. Volkswagen is approaching leadership with a fully electric lineup led by the ID.4. Tesla’s sales in Europe, which sharply fell by 45% in January and February 2025 compared to the same period last year, are striking, meanwhile, the European electric car market rose by 31%, with Volkswagen’s ID lineup being the main beneficiary of this change. Breaking this down according to the sales provided by DataForce, Tesla managed to sell only 25,852 cars in the first two months of 2025, which is a sharp decline from the 46,584 units sold in the same period in 2024.
The Model Y still holds the title of the best-selling electric car with 14,773 units sold since the beginning of the year, although this is a significant drop of 53% compared to last year’s figures. It is worth noting that the updated version of the Model Y has just been released, so it may take a little time for its impact on sales to materialize. The Tesla sedan ranks 6th in sales with 10,785 units sold, which is 26% less than in 2024. As for the Model S and Model X, at this point, they are practically not sold in Europe, with a combined 272 units sold in January and February 2025 (128 and 144 respectively). This is not quite the kind of results that excite investors.
So, what stands behind this sharp decline in Tesla’s success? Well, besides the replacement of the Model Y, the change in sentiment seems to be closely tied to the loss of interest in CEO Elon Musk. Public protests, spurred by his famous greeting, his political ties, and his connections with former US President Donald Trump, who recently imposed additional tariffs on European imports, may deter European buyers. Meanwhile, Volkswagen is experiencing a major surge with electric vehicle sales up by 182% in February 2025. The ID.4, which sold 13,312 units in the first two months of 2025, ranks second in electric car sales in Europe, closing in on the Model Y with an impressive 172% year-over-year growth.
An honorable third place is held by , with 11,303 units sold, surpassing the Model 3 at the moment. The Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback is not far behind, coming in 5th place with 10,837 sales, marking a 141% increase compared to last year. The list of the ten most popular electric cars in Europe also includes two new players: the Renault 5 E-Tech (8th place with 9,812 sales) and the Citroen e-C3 (10th place with 8,142 sales). Among other notable models that make it into the top 10, Kia EV3 (4th place), Skoda Enyaq iV (7th place), and BMW iX1 (9th place) stand out.
