Elon Musk’s Tesla has some good news from the UK.
As per the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Tesla cars grabbed the top two spots in the top 10 best-selling cars list in the UK for December.
Tesla Model Y was the best-selling in December registering sales of 5,165 units, while the Tesla Model 3 grabbed the second place with 3,477 units sold.
Apart from Tesla, Nissan grabbed two spots in the top 10.
Nissan Qashqai bagged the third spot with 3,371 units sold, while the Juke came in at 10th with 1,972 units sold.
| Rank | Vehicle | Sales |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 5,165 |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 3,477 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | 3,371 |
| 4 | MINI Cooper | 3,245 |
| 5 | Ford Puma | 2,802 |
| 6 | MG ZS | 2,780 |
| 7 | Vauxhall Corsa | 2,712 |
| 8 | Volvo XC40 | 2,618 |
| 9 | Audi Q4 e-tron | 2,019 |
| 10 | Nissan Juke | 1,972 |
Rise of EV sales in the UK
The surge in sales of Tesla coincides with the growing popularity of electric vehicles in the UK.
In the final month of the year, sales of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) surged over 56% year-on-year to 43,656 units.
The market share of BEVs in the month stood at 31%, grabbing second place just behind petrol vehicles which recorded a market share of 42%.
In 2024, BEV sales went up 21.4% YoY to 381,970 units. The market share climbed to 19.6% from 16.5% registered at the end of 2023.
Tesla’s Europe troubles
Tesla’s annual deliveries dropped for the first time in years.
The automaker delivered 1.79 million vehicles in 2024, a slight decrease from 1.81 million in 2023, marking its first annual decline in deliveries in recent years.
Analysts attributed the decline in parts to the company’s ongoing struggles in European markets.
Tesla’s sales in Europe fell by about 14% from January to November, with 283,000 vehicles sold compared to the same period in 2023, based on data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
In November alone, registrations dropped to 18,786 units from around 31,810 the previous year.
The decline coincided with the European Union’s ongoing investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles, which led to the imposition of a 7.8% tariff on Tesla cars imported from China in October.
This investigation has impacted Tesla’s exports to Europe from its most productive factory.
Tesla sales in the UK also showed muted growth in 2024.
The company sold a total of 50,334 cars in the UK, a 1.54% increase from the 49,571 units sold in 2023.
The silver lining of the Musk-led company has been in China, where it recorded an increase in sales for the year 2024. Tesla’s annual sales in China went up by 8.8% to a record high of over 657,000 cars.
However, the company’s market share has declined from 7.8% in 2023 to 6% in the January to November period of 2024.
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