Accounts filed by Tesla in September 2025 have revealed the company’s electric vehicle sales have taken a $670 million hit in the U.K. According to The Telegraph, the loss is primarily linked to CEO Elon Musk‘s involvement in politics.
What’s happening?
While Tesla’s robotaxi program and Full Self-Driving software have seen the company make progress, these advancements are not enough for consumers to push aside their issues with Musk.
As The Telegraph outlined, Musk’s previous involvement in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency and vocal support of candidates in several European countries’ elections has led to an impression among many people that buying a Tesla itself feels like a political statement, in tacit approval of Musk’s political positions.
And while Musk has denied it was anything other than an expression to show his heart goes out to people, his tenure included a moment at Trump’s inauguration where Musk made a gesture that was likened by some to a Nazi salute, causing some to make statements such as “I’m selling the Nazi mobile.”
Though Musk and Trump have now gone their separate ways and Musk has increased his time commitment back with Tesla, The Telegraph report said this has not been enough yet to revive U.K. sales.
Why is the revenue plunge concerning?
It should be noted that Tesla reported a record third quarter of 2025, from July through September, as it coincided with the Sept. 30 end of the $7,500 EV tax credit that many Tesla models were eligible for. Outside of this push, though, U.S. and worldwide sales have been slipping, and the impact on consumers could be pretty direct.
While the company was able to offer competitively low prices on models in 2023, this may not remain the case with such massive sales decreases.
Accessibility and affordability of electric vehicles are paramount to a cleaner future. As EVs don’t burn dirty fuels, they provide a mode of transportation without creating tailpipe exhaust pollution.
Though some argue that lithium mining for EV batteries will require millions of tons of minerals, it’s important to note that we’re already extracting billions of tons of dirty fuels from the Earth every year, and these are not reusable.
And as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes, “The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an electric vehicle over its lifetime are typically lower than those from an average gasoline-powered vehicle, even when accounting for manufacturing.”
Tesla was bound to lose some EV market share as the years progressed either way, of course, after taking such a commanding lead. Other EV brands have been making a bigger name for themselves in recent years around the world, such as Chinese automakers BYD and Xiaomi and U.S. manufacturers Rivian and Lucid.
What’s being done about the UK sales nosedive?
Continued advancements and changes in Tesla may reroute sales for the company. Most likely, Musk’s continued distance from politics could yield more consumer interest in the brand.
Switching to an EV is a great option, regardless of what brand you go with. Plus, the growing used EV market is making clean driving an option for even more people.
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