Tesla’s sales figures in Europe are falling with only a few exceptions. Sweden is particularly striking. There, only 163 new Tesla vehicles were registered – a whopping 86 percent decrease compared to the previous year. Denmark, France, and the Netherlands are also not very enthusiastic about Tesla’s current offerings, with declines of 52, 27, and 62 percent respectively. This marks the seventh consecutive month of declining numbers – not a record that Fremont is likely to be proud of.

A bit of headwind, please – preferably from multiple directions

According to industry observers, Tesla is not currently overwhelmed with orders, not only due to intensifying competition, such as from dynamic Chinese providers. Elon Musk’s public statements are also not exactly contributing to brand maintenance. In addition, European regulations are clipping the wings of Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving functions – and thus the sales of the Model Y.

A quick look at the individual numbers:

France: -27 %, 1307 new registrations in July

Netherlands: -62 %, only 443 new Teslas on the road

Denmark: -52 %

Sweden: -86 %, including a decline of 88 % in the Model Y

Denmark (Model Y): -49 %

Norway? The very big positive exception!

However, not everywhere is in chaos. In Norway, Tesla’s new financing model with 0 % interest seems to have a significant effect. With an increase of 83 %, 715 Model Y were newly registered there in July – more than four times as many as in the same month last year. In Spain, new registrations also increased by 27 %. The market for electrified vehicles there grew by a total of 155 % – and Tesla benefited at least a little from this trend.

However: The competition is not sleeping. BYD, one of the rising Chinese providers, sold around 2150 vehicles in Spain alone in July – almost eight times as many as the previous year. In Austria too, BYD has now significantly left Tesla behind.

Truly new models are urgently needed

A core problem remains the model range. While other manufacturers are bringing new types of vehicles to series production, Tesla relies on tried and tested models. In March, a revised all-wheel drive version of the Model Y arrived in Europe, in May two new rear-wheel drive variants. However, more affordable entry-level models are still awaited. The announced start of production was postponed to the next quarter – later than planned. And Model S and X, also only facelifted since production began, were dropped – allegedly only temporarily – from EU programs due to lack of success. But no new developments are in sight here either.

Musk himself remains at least verbally combative: In July, he admitted that difficult months are ahead. Stricter rules, expiring tax benefits in the US ($7500 per electric car), and increasing price pressure from Chinese manufacturers are causing problems for the company.

Overall market grows – Tesla not necessarily with it

Overall, the auto markets in Europe developed quite positively in July:

Denmark: +20 %

Sweden: +6 %

Norway: +48 %

Spain: +17 %

Netherlands: +9 %

The only exception is France with a decline of 8 %.

For Tesla, this results in a rather bitter conclusion: while the market is growing, their own numbers are declining. In the first half of 2025, Tesla’s sales in Europe fell by more than a third overall.