Elon Musk’s Tesla gained market share in some key European markets in February, official data showed, signalling some stabilisation in the continent after two straight years of declining sales.

In France, the carmaker’s registrations, a proxy for sales, rose 55% even as most rivals sold fewer cars in the country than a year ago.

Registrations increased 74% in Spain and 32% in Norway, but fell 45% in the Netherlands and 18% in Denmark.

Other countries including Italy, Portugal and Belgium were set to report later in the day.

Tesla saw European sales drop 27% last year amid rising competition, particularly from Chinese EV brands, controversy over Musk’s politics and an ageing model line-up.

Last year Tesla unveiled cheaper versions of its Model Y and Model 3 in the US and Europe, which started to roll out to consumers late in 2025.

The company’s market share in the EU, Britain and the European Free Trade Association slid marginally to 0.8% in January from 1% in the same month in 2025.

But that is still far below its 1.8% market share in 2025, 2.5% in 2024 and 2.9% in 2023, when its signature Model Y SUV was the world’s best-selling model.

Reuters