Tesla Was Supposed To Be Losing Europe. The Data Says Otherwise

Tesla’s European sales are growing again after a brutal 2025. But the comeback story has one Chinese caveat.

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

May 27, at 5:02pm ET

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Tesla’s European sales are growing again after a rough 2025.
BYD grew even faster in April, helped by a broader lineup.
Tesla’s rebound in Europe is real, but the continent's EV market is far more crowded.

For much of 2025, the story around Tesla in Europe was that it had lost the plot and was going on an inevitable downward spiral. Sales were declining, buyers had more alternatives than ever, and Elon Musk’s polarizing public presence, linked to his political foray, became inseparable from the brand. Its most popular product, the Model Y, was still selling well, but sales were falling, and it was the first time that Tesla no longer looked untouchable.

Things have stabilized in the meantime, and Tesla sales are no longer going down. In Europe overall, registrations rose 46.5% year-over-year in April to 10,654 vehicles. It was Tesla’s third consecutive month of growth after more than a year of near-constant declines.

In the European Union alone, Tesla’s April registrations jumped more than 67% to 9,169 vehicles for the month. That followed gains of more than 84% in March and almost 12% in February, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing ACEA data.

It’s also worth noting that Tesla’s April growth looks impressive because the comparison point was so weak. The company spent much of 2025 going in the wrong direction while the broader EV market was recovering. ACEA’s 2025 figures show that EU EV registrations rose to 1,880,370 vehicles, representing 17.4% market share, up from 13.6% in 2024. In other words, Europe was still buying more EVs while Tesla was struggling.

Europe’s broader car market grew 7% in April to 1,152,315 vehicles, and electrified cars—EVs, PHEVs, and hybrids—made up more than two-thirds of all registrations. That puts Tesla’s gains into context. The company benefited from a recovering European car market and a broader shift toward electrified vehicles, with Reuters citing renewed incentive schemes and subsidies, as well as higher fuel prices, as factors pushing buyers toward low-emission cars.

ACEA says battery-electric cars accounted for 19.7% of the EU market through April 2026, up from 15.3% a year earlier. The EU saw 746,899 new battery-electric car registrations in the first four months of the year, with strong growth in Italy, France, and Germany.

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

But while Tesla saw healthy growth numbers in the last few months, its up-and-coming rival in Europe, BYD, posted even stronger numbers. BYD’s April registrations jumped 114.5% to 27,008 units, which is more than twice Tesla’s European total for the same month, although not all these BYDs were fully electric.

BYD is also attacking parts of the market that Tesla does not cover at all. The new Dolphin G DM-i is a Europe-focused plug-in hybrid supermini, giving the Chinese automaker an entry in a high-volume segment where Tesla has no product. BYD already offers fully electric vehicles in the segment, and a PHEV should considerably broaden appeal.

But Tesla isn't giving up the fight. There are reports that Tesla is finally developing a smaller, cheaper EV. This more affordable electric crossover is reportedly in the early stages of development and would be built in China. Tesla typically moves faster than traditional automakers once a program is locked in, but its recent product cadence warrants caution.

What do you think?

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The company has talked about cheaper models for years, while Europe’s lower end of the EV market is already filling up. Still, the new, cheaper model would give Tesla a much-needed product below the Model Y. The product hasn't been confirmed yet, however, and there's no official timeline for its release.

So Tesla is no longer collapsing in Europe. But the market it once helped define and lead has become far more crowded, with better local EVs, a stronger Chinese push, and more buyers willing to look beyond the Model 3 and Model Y. April’s numbers prove Tesla still has pull in Europe, but it’s obviously no longer setting the pace.