Tesla’s new car sales in the UK plunged 62% year-on-year to their lowest level in more than two years in April, despite rising demand for electric vehicles in the UK market, data released by researcher New AutoMotive on Tuesday showed.
Sales of billionaire Elon Musk’s electric vehicles also fell to multi-year lows in some other major European markets last month, national data showed last week, as Tesla prepared to launch a facelifted Model Y to face competition from European and Chinese electric car brands.
The UK has bucked Tesla’s pessimistic trend in Europe this year, but the automaker sold just 536 new cars in the UK in April, down from 1,404 in the same period in 2024, leaving the brand with a 9.3% electric car market share so far this year.
Tesla’s UK website said deliveries of the facelifted Model Y are expected to start in June, but it will take several months of sales data to show whether the updated version can win back customers.
Musk’s close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and his support for far-right politics in Europe have sparked protests against him and the company, as well as the vandalism of showrooms and charging stations across the U.S. and Europe.
Musk said two weeks ago that he would spend less time on the Trump administration and more on running the company after the brand’s first-quarter global sales and profits missed expectations.
New AutoMotive said that electric vehicle registrations in the U.K. rose 6.9% overall in April, slowing from the previous month amid poor overall economic conditions.
Volkswagen’s electric vehicle sales in the U.K. surged 194% to 2,314 last month, while registrations of electric vehicles at China’s BYD rose 311% to 1,419.
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