Europe's Electric Vehicle Adoption - Thriving in the Northern Regions, Struggling in the South
In July 2025, the Tesla Model Y continued to lead as Europe's top-selling electric vehicle (BEV), despite a significant 41.6% decline in sales across the continent[1][4]. However, Tesla's overall market share and sales volume have been under pressure due to increasing competition.
A notable shift in the European EV landscape has seen Volkswagen emerge as the leading electric car brand for the first half of 2025, thanks to strong sales of its ID series models such as the ID.4, ID.3, and the premium ID.7[1][3]. Newcomers like the Skoda Elroq, Renault 5 E-Tech, Kia EV3, and VW ID.7 also gained strong market positions and entered the top-selling EV ranks[1][2].
Germany and France are key European EV markets where Tesla's sales saw a steep decline in 2025, especially in July, suggesting local dominance of brands like Volkswagen and potentially Renault or Skoda[4]. The UK market also experienced a 60% drop in Tesla sales in July 2025, indicating that vehicles such as Volkswagen’s ID family or local favorites like Kia and Renault models likely dominated there as well[4].
Volkswagen's strong brand and vehicle portfolio have helped it overtake Tesla as the most sold EV brand in several European countries during the first half of 2025[3]. While comprehensive July-specific country-by-country top EV lists are not fully detailed in the latest sources, the trends suggest that local favorites such as Renault, Skoda, and Kia rose strongly in various markets in July 2025.
The European electric vehicle market overall grew sharply (+34% in the first half of 2025), but the competitive landscape is rapidly shifting away from Tesla to a broader range of strong local players[5]. Reuters reported that Tesla sales were down across several key European markets in July, despite the ongoing rollout of the revamped Model Y.
For more detailed information on the top-selling EVs per individual European country in July 2025, more extensive country-level breakdowns from registration databases would be required, as the available summaries mainly emphasize brand-level and pan-European top models.
References:
- Reuters
- Electrek
- Autocar
- Car Dealer Mag
- Bloomberg
In light of the growing competition, the European EV market saw a shift in leadership from Tesla to Volkswagen in the first half of 2025, with brands like Renault, Skoda, and Kia also rising strongly in various markets, particularly in July. As the financial sector (finance) invests more in environmental-science and technology, the emergence of these local players is significantly impacting the industry and environment, altering the sales landscape of electric vehicles (EV) in Europe.
