- The best-selling car in Europe through January was once again the Dacia Sandero.
- VW delivered 7,177 units of the all-electric ID.4 marking a strong performance.
- The Tesla Model Y ranked second, with 6,115 units sold in Europe in the previous month.
Electric vehicles are gaining traction in Europe, with sales soaring by 37% last month. A total of 165,473 battery-electric vehicles were delivered across 28 countries on the continent, including the 25 EU nations plus the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, according to data from Jato Dynamics. However, a closer look at the sales figures reveals that even the most popular EV couldn’t crack the top 25 of Europe’s best-selling new cars.
In January, the Volkswagen ID.4 emerged as Europe’s top-selling EV, with 7,177 units registered across the region. That’s a massive 195% increase from January 2024, propelling the ID.4 ahead of the long-time reigning EV champion, the Tesla Model Y. But before you start picturing a “VW dominance” headline, take a breath.
Read: Tesla Sales Crumble 45% In Europe, While EV Market Explodes 37%
The Model Y’s sales took a nosedive, dropping by 46% to just 6,115 units. It only narrowly outpaced the VW ID.7, which sold 5,879 units. Whether the Model Y’s slump is linked to the launch of its facelifted version or a backlash against Elon Musk’s increasingly high-profile political activities is still anyone’s guess.
Not far behind was the new Kia EV3, with 5,792 sales. So, while VW can pat itself on the back for pushing the ID.4 to the top, the overall EV market still has a long way to go before it competes with the mainstream heavy-hitters.
The Top Selling Models Overall
While VW executives may be celebrating strong sales of the ID.4 and ID.7 models, EVs still have a long way to go before they can rival more traditional ICE models in terms of sales figures. As is often the case in Europe, the Dacia Sandero was the best-selling new car overall, with 21,309 examples sold.
That comfortably put it ahead of the VW Golf (17,630), the Peugeot 208 (17,289), the Dacia Duster (15,816), and the VW T-Roc (15,655). Notably, no EV could crack the top 25. To put that in perspective, the Skoda Octavia (13,913 sales) and the Hyundai Tucson (13,201) were all significantly ahead of the ID.4.
This isn’t exactly a surprise. Despite all the buzz surrounding EVs, the reality is that Europeans still have a strong preference for their good ol’ gas-guzzlers. That means the ID.4 was behind models like the Skoda Octavia (13,913 sales), the Hyundai Tucson (13,201 sales), Ford Puma (10,499 sales), and the MG ZS, which shifted 9,720 units.
PHEVs Slip as EVs Rise, But Not by Much
Interestingly, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) saw a decline in sales this January, dropping by 6% year-on-year. Just 75,680 PHEVs found new owners, far fewer than last year, showing that while the market for full EVs is growing, hybrid models might be starting to fade into the background.
The Volvo XC40 led the PHEV charge with 5,001 units sold, followed by the VW Tiguan (4,159 deliveries), BMW X1 (3,222), Toyota C-HR (2,861), Hyundai Tucson (2,555), and Ford Kuga (2,446).
Jato Dynamics