Tesla Finally Breaks Its 13-Month Sales Losing Streak in Europe

For a little over a year, Tesla’s might has been on the decline in Europe. That stopped in February.

Photo by: InsideEVs.de

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Mar 24, at 4:30am ET

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Tesla has finally stopped its year-long sales loss in Europe.
Last month, the American car company recorded its first uptick in registrations in 13 months.
Overall, the European car market grew by 1.7%, while EV sales went up 15.8%.

Tesla has ended its 13-month-long sales losing streak in Europe, recording a significant uptick in year-over-year registrations, which are considered a proxy for sales. Last month, the American car company sold 13,740 cars in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, a 29.1% increase over the same month last year.

In January and February combined, the Elon Musk-led company sold 20,941 EVs, up 16.7% over the same period last year, when 17,947 Tesla models were registered in Europe, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). By comparison, Tesla sold 32,123 cars in the United States in January, down 26% year-over-year.

The Tesla Model Y is the company's best-selling model. The European-spec version is built at Tesla's Giga Berlin factory in Grunheide, Germany.

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

Despite the increase in sales, Tesla is still behind China’s BYD, which has been expanding its dealer presence in Europe and is aggressively pricing its cars to attract new buyers. In February, BYD sold 15,438 cars in Europe, a 185.3% increase year-over-year, while the first two months of the year brought the company 29,291 new registrations, up 179.2% from last year. That being said, it’s worth noting that BYD sells electric cars (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), so it’s not a direct comparison.

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Overall, the European car market saw a tiny 1.7% uptick in registrations last month. However, EVs and PHEVs continued to charge ahead with impressive figures. Last month, Europeans registered 190,683 new EVs, up 15.8%, and 96,252 new PHEVs, up 33%. Meanwhile, hybrid cars continue to be the best-selling powertrain type in the region, but with a smaller year-over-year increase compared to EVs and PHEVs. According to ACEA, 375,862 hybrids were sold in February, a 10.4% increase over last year.

Gas cars went down 17%, reaching 224,754 units, while sales of diesel-powered passenger vehicles decreased 13.5%, with 73,451 units. Diesel cars in particular have been on a severe decline for many months, making way for EVs and PHEVs to take their place on European roads.