9:11 am, March 25, 2025
Tesla sales in Europe continued to tank in February while Chinese brands and Renault Group boomed, new data reveals.
Latest figures from JATO Dynamics reveals the European car market fell yet again last month. Compared to February 2024, the month suffered a 3% fall totalling 966,300 cars registered.
Decreases in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland contributed the most to the decline, while total year-to-date registrations stood at 1,962,850 – a 2% fall.
Global analyst at JATO Dynamics, Felipe Munoz, said: ‘There are still no clear signs of recovery in the European automotive industry.
‘Uncertainty in the domestic market is being further complicated by challenges in both China and the US.’
While registrations of battery electric vehicles rose by 26% – the highest volume on record for both the month of February and the period of January to February – Tesla sales plunged by 44%.
The American manufacturer’s market share also fell to 9.6% – the lowest February for over five years.
Year-to-date market share also fell from 18.4% in 2024 to 7.7% this year.
This follows a 45% fall recorded in January.
Munoz added: ‘Tesla is experiencing a period of immense change. In addition to Elon Musk’s increasingly active role in politics and the increased competition it is facing within the EV market, the brand is phasing out the existing version the Model Y – its best-selling vehicle – in anticipation of the introduction of a new refreshed version.
‘During this process, brands often experience a drop in sales before they return to normal levels, once the updated model becomes widely available. Brands like Tesla, which have a relatively limited model lineup, are particularly vulnerable to registration declines when undertaking a model changeover.’
In February, registrations of the Model Y fell by 56% to 8,800 units, while registrations of the Model 3 fell by 14% to 6,800 units.
‘The difference in volume drops between these two vehicles suggests that the decline in the brand’s overall sales is more firmly rooted in the Model Y changeover than Musk’s political activity.
‘However, it will be interesting to see to what extent demand rebounds once the new Model Y hits markets across the region.’
While Tesla tanked, Chinese car brands scored some big wins.
Nearly 20,000 new Chinese-owned car brands were registered in Europe, outpacing Tesla which registered just over 15,700.
JATO Dynamics said the best-selling Chinese-owned car brands were Volvo, BYD and Polestar.
Volvo recorded a 30% drop in EV registrations, while BYD and Polestar posted increases of 94% and 98% respectively.
XPeng registered over 1,000 units, while Stellantis-backed Leapmotor finished February with just over 900 registrations.
The Volkswagen Group remained the top-selling brand in February with just under 249,500 units (+1%), but it was the Renault Group which saw sales boom by 12% to 106,590, placing it in third place. Second-placed Stellantis saw registrations slide by 16% to 156,263.
Renault’s success came from 9,400 EVs registered in February, with strong sales of the new 5, Clio, Symbioz, and the Dacia Duster.
The Dacia Sandero was the month’s best-seller with 21,604 (+4%), followed by the Citroen C3 with 18,540 (+4%) and Renault’s Clio with 18,348 (+22%).
The Tesla Model Y was the top-selling EV with 8,790 units, followed by the Model 3 (6,834) and the Volkswagen ID.4 (6,172).
