Tesla Europe sales plummet in Q1

Tesla’s sales in Europe totaled just 600 cars per day during the first quarter of this year, with the total number of TSLA vehicles sold at 54,020, about 37% less than the 86,027 in the same period in 2024.

Finbold research found that the global results also highlighted a downtrend as Elon Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) maker delivered 13% fewer cars in Q1 2025 than in the same quarter a year earlier, with a total of 336,681 compared to 386,810.

Tesla’s decline

The drop in Europe has been primarily linked to Musk’s controversial political activities with acts such as his endorsement of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) or calls to ‘move past’ Nazi guilt generating significant backlash.

Elsewhere, anxiety over the trade war has also likely contributed to the drop in sales.

However, the impact of the tariffs themselves has probably been negligible due to a lack of implementation.

A resurgence in Q2?

More recently, Tesla’s dire state prompted Elon Musk to pledge to reduce his political activities and focus more on running the company. Such a pivot could prove critical, as 2025 appears to be a pivotal year for the EV maker.

“The results continue a previous negative trend, which had 2024 be Tesla’s first-ever year of decline due to rising pressure on consumers from the cost-of-living crisis and on the company itself, as competitors have been growing their market share,” according to Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the Finbold research.

Lastly, although the revelation caused significant optimism about Q2 and the remainder of 2025, it is doubtful that the positive effects will be visible in the short and medium term.