Tesla sales skid in Europe in May despite EV rebound

[PARIS] Tesla missed out on Europe’s rebounding electric vehicle (EV) sales last month as the political activities of its CEO Elon Musk appear to continue to repel customers, industry data showed on Wednesday (Jun 25).

Tesla sold 40.2 per cent fewer cars in Europe in May than in the same month last year, according to data from the Acea, the trade association of European car manufacturers.

Overall, sales of battery-electric vehicles jumped by 25 per cent that same month in Europe.

During the first five months of 2025, Tesla sales fell 45.2 per cent from the same period last year, as European consumers have been turned off by Musk’s close ties to US President Donald Trump.

European consumers also increasingly have more battery-electric vehicles to choose from, including from Chinese car firms.

Tesla’s market share of Europe’s total automobile market has fallen to 1.1 per cent from 2 per cent last year.

Tesla’s slump comes as EV sales in Europe rebounded by 26.1 per cent in the first five months of the year, accounting for 15.4 per cent of all cars sold.

That’s “a share still far from where it needs and was expected to be”, said Acea chief Sigrid de Vries.

The EU aims to end sales of new internal combustion engine cars in 2035, but high prices and a perceived lack of charging infrastructure have given consumers pause.

“Consumer reluctance is by no means a myth, and we need to incentivise a supportive ecosystem – from charging infrastructure to fiscal incentives – to ensure the uptake of battery-electric models can meaningfully accelerate,” added de Vries.

Overall, car sales rose by 1.6 per cent in Europe last month, but were down by 0.6 per cent in the first five months of the year. AFP