- BMW outsold Tesla in the European electric car market.
- The German automaker delivered 14,869 new EVs in Europe last month, 308 more than Tesla.
For the first time ever, BMW sold more electric cars than Tesla in Europe. The July figures are now in, and according to analytics firm JATO Dynamics, BMW sold 14,869 new EVs in Europe last month. Tesla sold 14,561 new electric cars in July.
This means that BMW sold 308 more EVs than Tesla. And while that's a fairly small margin, it shows how much the German automaker has quietly become a power-hitter in the electric world, even as it continues to offer hybrid, plug-in hybrid and gas options too.
JATO Dynamics states that Tesla experienced a bit of a slump last month in Europe, with registrations of both the Model Y and Model 3 falling. Model Y sales were down 16% to 9,544 units sold. Meanwhile, Model 3 sales slid by 17% to 4,694. These slides allowed BMW Group to narrowly move into first place for EV sales in Europe in July.
Still, in July, the total number of EV sales in Europe fell by 6% year over year. JATO Dynamics says this slide was likely due to the lack of government incentives and concerns over resale values.
Yet even though BMW Group took the overall crown, Europe’s best-selling EV last month was still the Model Y by a large margin, with 9,544 sales. In July, the second best-selling EV in Europe was the Volvo EX30 with 6,573 sales, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 with 5,295 units sold.
Two BMWs made the top 10 list, with the iX1 at 4,305 and the i4 at 4,198.
Jato Dynamics points out that the overall European market grew by 2% compared with July 2023 to 1.03 million cars. Fifty-four percent of sales were SUVs.
Regarding the rise in SUV sales, JATO Dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz stated: “Consumers in Europe now have access to more choice than ever before, and SUVs are a more comfortable and desirable option for many. This alongside the increasing availability of affordable models is helping consumers to make the switch from traditional segments to SUVs.”
Though the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling EV in Europe in July, it fell far short of the best-selling model overall, the Dacia Sandero, with 22,398 sales. The Sandero was followed by the Volkswagen T-Roc with 19,254 sold and the Toyota Yaris Cross at 17,314.
