The Tesla Model Y topped Europe's new car sales charts in February 2023 as registrations of battery-electric cars grew by 33%, to 118,329.
In total, just over 900,000 cars were sold in EU markets plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland in February, according to figures from industry analyst Jato Dynamics.
Belgium, Italy, Spain and the UK all recorded double-digit growth rates, helped by the increase in EV sales. Only Cyprus, Finland, Norway and Sweden experienced a decline, with Norway "no longer contributing to the growth of BEVs in Europe", according to Jato global analyst Felipe Munoz.
The increase in EV sales was thanks to competitive deals and offers in the market – with Tesla having cut prices by up to £8000 in the UK – as well as increasing buyer confidence in range and charging infrastructure.
The Model Y was followed in the EV rankings by the Volkswagen ID 3 with 5375 sales and the Volkswagen ID 4 , with 5194. Jato noted that the Model Y's success came at the expense of the Model 3 saloon, which recorded a 49% drop compared with February 2022. The best-selling plug-in hybrid was the Ford Kuga , recording 3396 sales.
Registrations of Chinese-built cars slowed, according to Jato, although MG sales grew 121% year on year, with 7591 sales. Volkswagen topped the brand rankings with 96,602 sales, followed by Toyota with 61,930 and Peugeot with 53,549.
