Tesla's European sales rebound after months of decline

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has seen its monthly sales in Europe increase for the first time in over a year.

According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), in February, Tesla’s new car registrations in the EU, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland rose by nearly 12% year-on-year, reaching 17,664 vehicles. New car registrations reflect sales figures. In the EU alone, its sales increased by 29% compared to the same period last year.

This figure indicates that, despite several months of declining sales, Tesla remains a major competitor for European drivers in need of electric vehicles. According to ACEA data, Tesla had not recorded any monthly new car registration growth in Europe since December 2024.

Last year, the company faced consumer boycotts due to Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration. The billionaire was responsible for overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency before leaving that administration at the end of May last year.

Meanwhile, competition from Chinese rival BYD has intensified in Europe, with BYD offering a range of electric and hybrid vehicle products. Since ACEA began including BYD in its data last summer, the company’s sales have been skyrocketing each month, indicating that BYD has grown into a strong competitor against Tesla. BYD has recently overtaken Tesla to become the world’s largest electric vehicle seller.

Last month, BYD’s new car registrations in Europe nearly doubled, reaching 17,954 vehicles, surpassing Tesla. However, ACEA’s data shows that while BYD has achieved success and Tesla’s sales have also rebounded, European domestic car manufacturers remain the sales champions in the region in absolute numbers.

According to ACEA data, last month, registrations for Germany’s Volkswagen increased by 2.2% to 256,452 vehicles, while Jeep manufacturer Stellantis saw a 9.5% increase in sales to 170,816 vehicles. ACEA’s data includes both electric vehicles and other types of vehicles.

In recent years, some car manufacturers have had to reassess their product lines and scale back electric vehicle production due to difficulties in convincing drivers to switch to electric vehicles. Stellantis announced in February of this year that it would incur about $26 billion in expenses as it shifted towards non-electric models due to demand being lower than expected.

Last month, the European pure electric vehicle market grew by nearly 16%. Registrations for hybrid vehicles increased by over 10%, while plug-in hybrid models recorded a 33% growth.

ACEA stated that overall passenger car registrations in Europe rose by 1.7%, while the EU saw an increase of 1.4%. Among them, Germany’s sales grew by 3.8%, and Italy’s sales increased by 14.

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Editor: Liu Mingliang