The US-based electric vehicle giant Tesla's sales dropped by 52.6% in April on a yearly basis, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) data released on Tuesday showed.
Billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla sold 5,475 units of vehicle in April, ACEA's report showed, while this figure was at 11,540 units in April 2024 in the EU.
In Europe, including the EU, the European Free Trade Association, and the UK, Tesla's sales also fell by 49% to 7,261 units in April 2025, versus the same month last year.
Meanwhile, battery electric car sales soared by 34.1% to 145,341 units in the EU.
Once the standout leader in electric car sales, Tesla was overtaken in April by 10 rivals including Volkswagen, BMW, Renault and Chinese maker BYD, according to JATO Dynamics consultants.
Tesla's sales have been rapidly declining in Europe in the past few months due to the CEO Elon Musk's controversial political stance and the intervention in politics of Europe.
Tesla’s stock has been tumbling under pressure, amid rising Chinese competition and growing political backlash against Musk, raising doubts about its brand equity.
Hybrid domination reshapes European EV market
Skoda's new Elroq led electric car sales while Tesla's Model Y, the former frontrunner, ranked ninth.
Sales of electric cars overall rose 26.4 percent from last year to take a 15.3 percent share of the market in April, according to the ACEA.
The rise is uneven across Europe as different governments and manufacturers give different incentives to buy electric.
Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain have seen a major rise while electric car sales in France have fallen.
Sales of hybrid cars with a small electric battery still dominate the European market, rising 20.8 percent since the start of the year, while petrol-only cars have fallen 20.6 percent over the same time.
The Volkswagen group remains the top brand in Europe, with sales up 2.9 percent in April.
But Chinese brands were a major factor in the popularity of electric and hybrid cars, according to JATO and have 7.9 percent of the European market.
The BYD, MG, Xpeng and Leapmotor brands saw sales rise 59 percent over the year in electric and hybrid sales, while other manufacturers put on 26 percent.
JATO expert Felipe Munoz said it remains to be seen whether the European Union imposes tariffs on Chinese hybrid cars as it has for electric vehicles.
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