Tesla Model Y Europe’s best-selling car in September

The Tesla Model Y has become Europe’s most popular new car by sales volume for the first time, beating the best-selling Volkswagen Golf in its own backyard in September 2022. 

According to sales data from JATO Dynamics, Tesla delivered 29,367 examples of the Model Y electric SUV to European customers last month – 227 per cent more than September last year.

The sudden sales surge was driven by bulk arrivals of Tesla vehicles that had been ordered months earlier, which skews the overall picture.

Year-to-date sales data is patchy due to various sales reporting methods across Europe and the limited information released publicly.

However month-by-month European sales data from industry analyst JATO Dynamics shows Tesla is not yet a mainstay among the Top 10 sellers because vehicles arrive in peaks and troughs.

In addition to the Tesla Model Y topping the charts last month, the Tesla Model 3 sedan led the European market in March 2022 and the Tesla Model Y ranked ninth in June 2022.

However, other than these fleeting appearances, no Tesla cars have been inside the Top 10 in any other months this year.

Year-to-date European sales for the Tesla Model Y are estimated to be between 85,000 to 90,000, which ranks it outside the Top 10 sellers when all months so far in 2022 are combined.

The second-placed Peugeot 208 ended the month on 19,601 deliveries while the Volkswagen Golf – Europe’s best-selling car for 14 consecutive years – managed little more than 16,000 deliveries in September across the continent. 

Tesla locked out the first two positions in the electric-car sales charts for the third time this year despite deliveries of its Model 3 reducing by 50 per cent year-on-year to 12,244 September deliveries, with the battery-powered sedan reportedly experiencing transport delays from its factory in China to Europe.

Despite the setbacks, Tesla reportedly sold 17 per cent more cars in Europe between July and September 2022 than it had across the same three months in 2021.

Tesla’s strong European performance throughout September was reflected by its success in Germany, where the Model Y continued to outsell petrol and diesel-powered variants of the Volkswagen Golf.

Tesla delivered 9846 Model Ys in Germany compared to the 7095 Volkswagen Golfs deliveries for the month.

According to sales data from MarkLines, this upset result has increased the Model Y’s German year-to-date sales to more than 22,000 examples, although the Volkswagen Golf still leads the way with more than 63,000 cars delivered this year in its home country.

Between January and September, Tesla leads the way for battery-powered new-car sales in Germany, with Reuters reporting the US car-maker has delivered almost 38,500 electric cars.

In the same period, Volkswagen has reportedly sold about 6000 less electric cars than Tesla.

As previously reported, 4359 Tesla Model Ys arrived in Australia last month, putting the electric SUV into third on the new-car sales charts behind the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

An additional 1610 Model 3s brought Tesla’s September deliveries up to 5969 vehicles, culminating in a record month for the electric-car giant in Australia which ranked as the seventh-best selling brand outright for the month.