According to foreign media reports, sales of US electric car maker Tesla in Europe continued to deteriorate in February this year. Data from the four markets that first reported sales – France, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, all showed that Tesla’s sales in February saw a significant year-on-year decline.
Tesla’s car sales in Europe in January fell by about 50% year-on-year. This downward trend continues Tesla’s decline since last year and seems to be accelerating in 2025 due to a variety of factors, including the entry into politics by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the update of Tesla’s best-selling model, the Model Y.
Data released by the French Automobile Association PFA on March 1 showed that Tesla’s registration volume in France fell 45% from the same period last year in the first two months of this year, continuing the company’s negative growth trend in Europe this year. However, in February this year, the overall sales of electric vehicles in the French market also declined due to the reduction of some incentives.
Last year, the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling electric car in France and the top ten best-selling car. In contrast, since the beginning of this year, Tesla Model Y has only ranked 27th in the French car best-selling list, surpassed by the electric Peugeot 208, Renault 5 and Citroen e-C3.
However, in February this year, Tesla also failed to achieve sales growth in other European markets where electric vehicle sales are still growing. For example, in February this year, in the Norwegian market where almost all new cars are pure electric vehicles, Tesla’s new car sales still fell 48% year-on-year to 917 units, although overall car sales increased by 21% year-on-year. Since 2025, Tesla’s market share in Norway has also declined to 8.8% from 18.9% in 2024 and 20% in 2023.
Data shows that in February this year, Tesla’s new car registrations in Sweden fell 42% year-on-year to 613, and new car registrations in Denmark also fell 48% year-on-year to 509, although overall demand for cars (including electric vehicles) in both countries is rising.
At the same time, registration data also shows that Tesla’s new car sales in Norway, Sweden and Denmark ranked first in 2023 and 2024, but this year it has lagged behind competitors with new model series such as Volkswagen Group and Toyota.
Musk’s involvement in politics, significantly cuts the US federal labor force, and supports European far-right political views, triggering “boycott Tesla” demonstrations in the United States and other places. Meanwhile, Tesla will face tests in the coming months as the model ages, and Tesla is preparing to launch an upgraded Model Y midsize SUV in Europe, the best-selling car in Scandinavia over the past two years.
On March 3, the automobile industry group, the Norwegian Highway Federation (OFV), said it is not clear whether Tesla will regain its position as the people’s preferred car in Norway. “The Tesla brand has had a unique market position in Norway for several years. It is uncertain whether this will continue, as there are many uncertainties around Tesla and Musk,” OFV said in a statement.
In Denmark, more and more potential buyers are looking for advice from the Federation of Automobile Denmark (FDM) and say they are looking for alternatives to Tesla. Ilyas Dogru, chief consultant at FDM, said many people said at the beginning that they “want to buy an electric car, but they don’t want Tesla.”
Atle Falch Tuverud, editor-in-chief of Norwegian auto trade publication BilNytt, said Musk, who has long been regarded as a successful industrialist, seems to have become the biggest enemy of the Tesla brand. “There is no doubt that Tesla has lost some existing customers now, and to be sure, Tesla has lost some potential customers,” said Atle Falch Tuverud. He added that it may take several months to fully evaluate the impact of Musk on Tesla’s sales.
Ilyas Dogru said the preliminary answer could come between March and June this year, when the redesigned Tesla Model Y will start shipping, and the company may also decide to be more competitive in price.