Tesla’s sales continue to dive across Europe even as car buyers there increasingly buy electric vehicles.
Tesla sales were down sharply in April in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal, as well Sweden and France, according to monthly sales figures.
Just like in the United States, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s politics has inspired backlash and protests across Europe. Musk has backed some far-right political candidates in Germany and the UK. And given his high-profile role in the Trump administration, anger over the threat to slap steep tariffs on European imports could also be turning off some European buyers.
In the UK, one of the few European markets where Tesla reported stronger sales in the first quarter, April sales plunged 62%, according to UK auto industry trade group SMMT. The drop came even as overall EV sales rose 8% in the UK for the month.
Tesla sales were also down 67% in Denmark, 74% in the Netherlands and 33% in Portugal, according to data from trade groups in each of those countries. Sales were also down 81% in Sweden, and 59% in France, according to Reuters.
Tesla doesn’t report monthly sales and doesn’t break out sales by market. It did not respond to a request for comment on its April sales.
European Tesla sales are falling for reasons beyond just Musk’s reputation. Some of the drop is due to increased EV competition from other automakers, particularly Chinese rival BYD, which is poised to pass Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker this year.
Tesla has not issued guidance on its 2025 sales volume. But some analysts expect a drop in Tesla’s full-year sales given both its recent sales declines and the backlash against Musk.
“In short, the second quarter of 2025 is (again) shaping up to be a disaster of a quarter for Tesla, following the disaster that was the first quarter,” said analyst Gordon Johnson of GLJ Research, one of the most bearish on Tesla stock.
Across Europe, Tesla suffered a 36% drop in sales during the first three months of the year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. That’s even as EV sales in that market rose 24% in the period.
This comes on the heels of Tesla reporting its first drop in annual sales for 2024, and the biggest drop in quarterly global sales in history during the first quarter. That resulted in net income falling 71% in the quarter. Tesla had to rely on the sale of regulatory credits to legacy automakers in order to report any profit at all.
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