Tesla’s sales and reputation are plummeting in Europe as Elon Musk’s political involvement grows. The Tesla Model Y remains the best-selling electric car on the continent and the fourth best-selling car overall, but sales have dropped significantly compared to 2023 (-17%), with an even worse start to 2025, showing a staggering -47.7% decline compared to January 2024.
This drop is partly due to the age of the model, which has just been replaced, but Musk’s increasingly controversial decisions and personality are not helping. In fact, Tesla has experienced its steepest decline in its traditional strongholds—the Nordic countries—where EV adoption continues to rise, especially in Norway and Denmark.
“I Bought It Before Elon Went Crazy”
If you drive around Copenhagen, Aarhus, Stockholm, Oslo, or other cities in Scandinavia, it’s no longer uncommon to spot a Tesla with a sticker that reads: “I bought it before Elon went crazy.” These stickers began circulating well before Musk’s public support for Donald Trump, dating back to when he acquired X and became notorious for his treatment of employees.
Musk also alienated Northern Europe in late 2023 when a major strike in Sweden spread to Denmark, Norway, and Finland, protesting his refusal to comply with local labor laws. The situation deescalated only after Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, one of Tesla’s major shareholders, threatened to withdraw its investments.
Tesla’s sales plummet across Europe
Tesla’s registrations have declined across the board. According to Electrek, the UK has fared the best, with a “modest” -18.2% drop in January 2025 compared to January 2024. The UK remains one of the few European countries where EVs are still selling well.
Elsewhere, the numbers are more alarming. Norway, where EVs overtook ICE vehicles in total market share in 2024, recorded a -40.2% drop. Denmark, Europe’s second-largest EV market after Norway, saw a -40.9% decline, while Sweden suffered a -46.0% drop, partly due to the end of government incentives and broader economic struggles.
The worst declines were in France and Spain, where Tesla sales plummeted by -63.4% and -75.4%, respectively. Only Italy saw a slight 1% increase, but this is negligible given the country’s small EV market.
Here are Tesla’s sales figures in major European markets for January 2025 compared to January 2024:
| Country | Jan-25 | Jan-24 | % YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 1,293 | 1,581 | -18.2% |
| France | 1,141 | 3,118 | -63.4% |
| Netherlands | 926 | 1,610 | -42.5% |
| Norway | 663 | 1,109 | -40.2% |
| Spain | 269 | 1,094 | -75.4% |
| Sweden | 394 | 730 | -46.0% |
| Denmark | 451 | 763 | -40.9% |
| Portugal | 380 | 551 | -31.0% |
| Total | 5,517 | 10,556 | -47.7% |
The new Model Y might not be enough
Analysts attribute Tesla’s declining sales to a mix of factors, including brand perception and operational challenges.
However, Musk himself remains a major problem. His reputation has hit an all-time low, largely due to his political meddling in European affairs. He has made controversial statements about Italy and even weighed in on Greenland, claiming he hopes Greenlanders feel American—likely because of the island’s rich rare earth mineral deposits, which are of strategic interest to Musk and Trump.
Other factors, such as seasonality, also play a role. Tesla typically clears out inventory in Q4 to boost end-of-year financial results, leaving fewer cars available in early Q1. However, even in Q1 2023, sales did not collapse as dramatically as they have now.
The transition to the new Tesla Model Y, the company’s best-selling vehicle, has also temporarily impacted production and deliveries in early 2025. Some analysts believe the new Model Y could help stabilize sales in the second half of the year, but Tesla’s damaged reputation, tied to Musk’s persona, may have more lasting consequences.
2024 was already a challenging year for Tesla in Europe, and 2025 is off to an even worse start. The company delivered around 325,000 vehicles in Europe in 2024. If this negative trend continues, total deliveries for 2025 could drop below 300,000.
