Tesla Electric Car Sales In UK Drop 62 Percent But Other Manufacturers Are High, What's Up?

JAKARTA - Bad news came from the British automotive market. The latest data from the New AutoMotive research group this Tuesday, May 6, shows that Tesla's electric car sales in the United Kingdom experienced a drastic decline of up to 62 percent year-on-year in April. This figure is the lowest for the electric car manufacturer made by Elon Musk in more than two years.

Quoted from Reuters, Tesla's sharp decline occurred in the midst of an upward trend in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) as a whole in the UK.

New AutoMotive data shows that registration of electric cars as a whole in the UK actually increased by 6.9 percent in April. However, this figure is slowing down compared to the previous month, allegedly due to broader economic conditions.

Interestingly, other brands actually recorded significant EV sales growth in the UK in April. Volkswagen, for example, experienced a 194 percent surge in electric car sales with 2,314 units sold. In fact, a Chinese manufacturer, BYD, recorded a fantastic sales increase of up to 311 percent with 1,419 electric cars selling well in the UK market.

Previously, the UK had become an "oase" for Tesla amid sluggish sales trends in several other major European markets. However, in April 2025, Tesla was only able to sell 536 new cars in the UK, a far-degrading compared to 1,404 units in the same period in 2024. As a result, Tesla's EV market share in the UK year-to-date is now at 9.3 percent.

Speculations have also emerged regarding the cause of the decline in sales. One of the factors that allegedly triggers is consumer anticipation of the updated latest Tesla Model Y model. Tesla's official website in the UK announced that the facelift version of the Model Y delivery forecast will begin in June. However, it will still take several months to see if this latest version is able to attract consumer interest.

Apart from product factors, another issue that has the potential to influence Tesla's sales is public sentiment towards Elon Musk. His closeness to former US President Donald Trump and his right-handed views in Europe sparked a number of protests against him and the company. In fact, in recent times, vandalism has been reported in showrooms and Tesla charging stations in the United States and Europe.

After a disappointing first-quarter global sales and profit report, Musk said two weeks ago that it would reduce its time to interact with the Trump administration and focus more on managing the company.