Tesla's popularity is plummeting in France. While Elon Musk continues to claim that his car brand is not lacking in appeal, the mathematical reality is quite different.
The official figures for the number of registrations (and therefore new vehicles) have just been released for the month of May, and it's a cold shower for the Californian manufacturer. Despite a very successful facelift of its flagship model, the Model Y, the manufacturer has only sold 721 new cars. The data provided by the Automotive Platform (PFA) are not kind to the new version of the electric SUV. A shame for what was, just last year, the best-selling car in the world.
This unflattering result is much more critical than it seems. On the one hand, because it is down 67% compared to the same time last year, but also because with just over 700 registrations, Tesla is having its worst month in over three years. This downward trend is not new, of course, it began several months ago and has intensified at the beginning of 2025. Thus, last January the car brand announced results down 63.4%; but, at that time, the new version of the Model Y had just been announced and the manufacturer could still hope for the renewed attractiveness given by the restyling.
Tesla's image, the outrages of Elon Musk
Several factors can explain such a drop in sales and, first and foremost, the distrust towards Elon Musk, the emblematic boss of the brand. The latter's political commitment to Donald Trump, as well as his many highly criticized statements, weigh heavily in the decision of motorists to turn away from the Californian brand. Thus, between January and May, Tesla delivered only 8,277 cars in France, half as many as last year during the same period. Moreover, this lack of love is also reflected in sales of used Teslas.
Defenders of the brand and its boss may argue that this decline in sales is part of a more global trend, with the car market down 12% in May, but Tesla's descent into hell began much earlier: it follows the trend of its boss's political and ideological choices. For comparison, Tesla sales have also fallen by 46% in Germany since Elon Musk endorsed the far-right AFD party earlier this year.
This plunge in Tesla sales is good news for another manufacturer: BYD. For the first time in April, the Chinese company overtook the Californian brand across Europe.
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