VW Has Finally Surpassed Tesla in Electric Vehicle Sales in Europe | Carscoops

      The updated Model Y Juniper saw 27,828 units sold in Europe in March, representing a 30% decrease from the same month last year.

      Tesla was the leader in sales for March; however, it slipped to second place in Q1, as Volkswagen experienced a significant 157% increase.

      The introduction of the updated Model Y Juniper did not stop Tesla's ongoing decline in sales.

      The electric vehicle market in Europe is significantly growing, with March 2025 marking the second-best month on record for registrations, contributing to the strongest quarter for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) ever. Despite this remarkable growth for the sector, the updated Model Y "Juniper" from Tesla could not reverse the brand's sales downturn.

      In March, BEV sales in Europe totaled 240,891 units, which is a 23% increase year-over-year and represents a substantial 17% market share, roughly one in five new vehicles sold. Although this number fell short of the all-time high of 275,108 units recorded in December 2022, it was crucial in making Q1 2025 the most successful quarter for BEV sales in European history.

      Tesla Delays Cheaper Smaller Model Y, Plans Stripped-Down Model 3.

      Data from JATO Dynamics, covering 28 European markets, revealed that Tesla was the highest-selling BEV brand in March 2025, despite a 30% decline compared to March 2024. However, this represents an improvement over the more severe drops observed in January (-47%) and February (-44%), which offers at least a small victory for Tesla.

      Volkswagen Beats Tesla

      Tesla's downward trend placed it in second for BEV sales in Q1 2025, with 53,237 registrations (-38%), falling behind Volkswagen, which achieved a remarkable 157% growth with 65,679 units sold. BMW is also closing in on Tesla, reporting a 21% rise over the same quarter the previous year, with sales of 46,557 in Q1 2025. The top five was completed by Audi, selling 34,739 units (a notable 51% increase), and Renault, delivering 31,880 vehicles, reflecting an impressive 89% growth.

      In terms of individual electric models, Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 topped the charts in Europe for Q1 2025, recording 29,770 (-49%) and 23,044 (-14%) registrations, respectively. Interestingly, despite high expectations, the launch of the heavily updated Model Y Juniper did not yield the anticipated sales boost, as it recorded 15,164 registrations in March 2025, down 43% from the previous year.

      Volkswagen demonstrated a strong performance with three of its models in the BEV top 10 for Q1 2025: the ID.4 (3rd), ID.7 (4th), and ID.3 (6th). Other notable entrants included the Kia EV3 (5th), Renault 5 E-Tech (8th), and Citroen e-C3 (10th), all of which are new to the list.

      In the U.S. market, EV sales reached 296,227 units (+11.4%) in Q1 2025, with Tesla holding a substantial 43.5% market share (128,100 units), despite a slight -8.6% decline in sales compared to the same period last year.

      Overall Sales Show Modest Growth in Europe

      Back in Europe, across all powertrain types, 1,423,340 vehicles were registered in March 2025, reflecting a 3.2% increase. The Q1 total reached 3,383,986 units, showing a nearly flat -0.02% change. The Peugeot 208 led the sales in March, while the Dacia Sandero maintained its position at the top in Q1 rankings.

      Tesla (-38%) was not the only brand facing challenges in sales declines. Other significant drops in Q1 included Maserati (-39%), Mitsubishi (-43%), Smart (-65%), Lancia (-73%), Abarth (-75%), and Jaguar (-82%).