In brief: Despite overall sales of battery-electric cars rising in Europe, sales of Teslas on the continent plunged by almost 50% in April as consumers boycotted the vehicles over Elon Musk's political moves. Increased competition from rival brands and Tesla's aging lineup also played a part in the sales crash.
According to new figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), Tesla sold 7,261 cars in Europe in April. That marks a 49% decrease compared to the same month a year earlier when European sales were at 14,228 units. Sales for the January to April period, meanwhile, were down almost 40%.
It means the EV giant's market share has nearly halved, from 1.3% a year ago to 0.7%.
The falling figures come as overall EV battery sales in Europe increased 34.1% YoY to 145,341 new registrations last month.
Part of the reason why Tesla sales are falling is due to backlash against CEO Elon Musk. There have been several public protests over his relationship with Donald Trump and actions as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). On March 31, a Tesla dealership in Rome was set on fire, destroying 17 cars. An anonymous communiqué blamed "Musk's fascist project."
Tesla's lack of new mainstream models is also having an impact on its sales in Europe. It has only launched an upgraded version of the Model Y SUV this year, and the Cybertruck is not officially on sale in the region.
Adding to Tesla's problems is Europeans' preference for hybrid vehicles over fully electric cars. Hybrids account for over 35% of the total European car market, and Tesla currently sells only fully battery-operated vehicles. There's also the increasing competition from Chinese brands like BYD, which sold more fully electric cars than Tesla in Europe for the first time.
The time Musk has been spending in his role as head of DOGE has led to concerns among Tesla investors. The Wall Street Journal reported at the start of the month that the company's board was seeking a replacement CEO, but this was vehemently denied by both Tesla and Musk.
Musk has said he will be significantly reducing the time he spends running DOGE, dedicating a "day or two per week" on government work and allocating more time to Tesla.
It's not been a good month for Tesla. Last week saw reports that sales of the Cybertruck had collapsed and the company was accepting trade-ins with extreme depreciation. The automaker has also canceled the $16,000 Cybertruck range extender, likely due to a lack of interest.
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