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Tesla sales plummet across Europe: Elon Musk's political activities seem to harm the company

Tesla sales plummet across Europe: Elon Musk's political activities seem to harm the company
Elon Musk's support for AFD campaign event may have contributed to Tesla's sales decline in Germany (Image source: AFD)
Tesla's sales are plummeting in key European markets. In Germany in particular, Elon Musk's recent political endorsement of the far-right populist party AFD is likely to have led to a 59 % drop in new registrations.

Tesla is the world's largest manufacturer of EVs, but since Elon Musk became more politically active, sales in Europe have dropped. In Germany in particular, consumers have reacted drastically: only 1,277 new Tesla cars were registered in January. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, this represents a drop of 59 % compared to the previous year.

This could be linked to the general decline in electric car sales in Germany, but also in other European countries such as France, where demand fell 27.5 % year-on-year in 2024 due to higher prices for electric vehicles and the sudden end of a government scrappage scheme in December 2023.

However, demand has recently recovered and in January the German EV market grew by more than 50 % year-on-year. Tesla's market share fell from 14 % to 4 %. In France, Tesla sales dropped by 63 %, in Norway by around 38 %, in Sweden by 44 %, in the Netherlands by 42 % and in the UK there were 8 % fewer new registrations than in the same period last year.

Elon Musk gets involved in German election campaign

A few weeks before Germany's federal elections, Elon Musk endorsed the AfD in an interview on X with party leader Alice Weidel. While appearing as a guest at an AfD election rally, the Tesla CEO as well as President Trump's advisor were also on air live from the US. Some experts attribute Tesla's declining market share in Germany to Musk's controversial comments. However, not all analysts agree on whether this is the reason for the drop in new registrations or whether consumers may be waiting for Model Y facelift.

Tesla owners show remorse over purchase with new sticker

In Germany, Tesla's Model Y led the way in 2024 with a total of 29,896 new registrations, while the Model Y was also the top-selling electric car in Europe with 180,682 new registrations. It remains to be seen how the sales figures will develop over the course of 2025. According to German entrepreneur Patrik Schneider, he is currently being "completely overrun" with orders for a special sticker. Tesla owners who regret their purchase can affix it to their vehicle. It reads: "I bought this before Elon went crazy". 

Entrepreneur Patrik Schneider produces stickers for Tesla drivers
Entrepreneur Patrik Schneider produces stickers for Tesla drivers
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2025 02 > Tesla sales plummet across Europe: Elon Musk's political activities seem to harm the company
Nicole Dominikowski, 2025-02- 9 (Update: 2025-02- 9)