• European EV sales have been on the rise in the first two months of the year.
• That’s despite the huge drop in Tesla registrations.
• In January and February, EVs in the EU, EFTA and UK had the highest increase in registrations of all power types.

Electric vehicles are off to a great start in Europe after a rocky performance last year. That’s despite Tesla sales cratering in the first two months of this year, which means other automakers like BMW, MG and Renault have picked up the slack from what has traditionally been the EV king.

In the European Union, the United Kingdom and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), EV registrations amounted to 330,584 units–an increase of 31.4% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Tesla registrations in the same regions went down by 42.6%, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

The American EV maker sold 16,888 cars in February in the three European regions, down from last year’s 28,182 cars. In January and February, Tesla’s sales went from 46,343 units last year to 26,619 units this year–a 42.6% drop.

In the European Union alone, overall EV sales went up 28.4% in January-February, while Tesla’s numbers dropped by 49% year-over-year. The maker of the Model 3 had 19,046 cars registered in the EU in the first two months of this year, down from last year’s 37,311 units.

In a rare turn of events, EVs had the biggest increase in registrations in Europe in the first two months of 2025, surpassing traditional hybrids’ meteoric rise in the previous year. That’s despite the overall car market dipping by 3% in the EU and by 2.6% in the EU, EFTA and UK.

Except for EVs and hybrids, every other power source saw a decline in registrations at the beginning of the year. Gas-powered cars went down 21.9% in the first two months in the EU, EFTA and UK, reaching 562,513 units. Diesel cars dipped 27.5% and went below 200,000 units. Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations decreased by 3.4% and reached 148,156 units.

Meanwhile, traditional hybrids that can’t be plugged in went up 17.6% and reached 687,709 units in January and February. As a result, this type of vehicle is now the best seller in Europe, dethroning regular gas cars.

Getting back to all-electric vehicles, they now account for 15.2% of the total market share in the EU, up from last year’s 11.5%. Meanwhile, Tesla’s total market share in February went from 2.8% last year to 1.8% this year, while its grasp on the European EV segment slipped from 21.6% in 2024 to 10.3% this year.

The impressive uptick in EV registrations in Europe comes after slightly disappointing figures last year. According to ACEA, EV registrations in the EU went down 5.9% last year compared to 2023.