Tesla Model 3 becomes Europe’s best-selling car in September

Tesla’s Model 3 was the best-selling car in Europe last month – the first time that an electric car has taken the top spot.

Some 24,591 units were registered during the month according to data from JATO Dynamics – a 2.6 per cent market share – and it meant that it was the first time that a vehicle manufactured outside of Europe had topped the rankings.

JATO says that the Model 3’s strong performance can, in part, be put down to Tesla’s end-of-quarter sales push, with September providing to be a historically strong month for the US firm. It was followed by the Renault Clio and Dacia Sandero in second and third place, respectively.

Registrations for electrified vehicles swelled by 44 per cent in the month to 221,500 units, while those for diesel dwindled by 51 per cent to 167,000 units.

However, total registrations for the month fell by 25 per cent to 964,800. Felipe Munoz, global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, commented: “Dealers continue to face issues with the availability of new cars due to the chip shortage. As a result, unwilling to wait more than a year for a new car, many consumers have turned to the used car market.”

Europe’s 26 markets continued to outperform when compared with 2020, though JATO now says that ‘the gap has narrowed’. By the end of the first half of the year, registrations were 27 per cent up on the same period in 2020, but this has now fallen to just seven per cent. Munoz added: “This year, the industry has responded well to the the pandemic, but it is now facing new supply chain challenges. The growing popularity of EVs is encouraging, but sales are not yet strong enough to offset the big declines seen across other segments.”

The new figures also highlight the rising popularity of SUVs, which are on track for a 50 per cent market share. Last month, 45.6 per cent of the passenger cars registered in Europe were SUVs – the highest ever monthly share for the segment.