Tesla sees German sales nosedive in January
By Olivia Logan
In January 2025, Tesla Germany recorded a 60 percent year-on-year drop in car sales, according to Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority.
Just 1.227 Teslas newly registered in Germany
Information from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has revealed that during January 2025, just 1.227 Teslas were newly registered in Germany, a 59,5 percent decrease on new registrations in January 2024.
However, Tesla’s overall German market saw only a 2,8 percent annual decline and sales of all brands of battery-powered electric vehicles increased in January 2025, up by 53,5 percent compared to the same period last year.
Shortly after Elon Musk’s apparent fascist salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration celebrations, the Tesla CEO joined an Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) conference by video link. During the event, which took place shortly before Holocaust Remembrance Day, the billionaire called on Germans to “move beyond” their guilt for Nazism. Musk's decision to wade into German politics ahead of the federal election on February 23 has been widely condemned in Germany and Europe.
Other European drivers are distancing themselves from Tesla
Sweden and Norway have recorded similar sales decline trends at Tesla. 44 percent fewer Teslas were newly registered in Sweden in January 2025 compared to January 2024, while Norway saw a 34 percent drop.
In the Netherlands, a recent survey of 26.000 people by EenVandaag found that a third of Tesla owners want to sell their cars and feel “Tesla shame” due to their association with Elon Musk.
Thumb image credit: Kittyfly / Shutterstock.com
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Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more