Tesla regained its European leadership position with a record it hadn’t achieved since 2022, while Chinese brands were already in the top 10.

With 40,971 units sold, the Tesla Model Y was Europe’s best-selling car in September. This represented an impressive 55% increase compared to the same month in 2025. Right behind it was the Model 3, with 25,057 units sold, more than double the figure from a year earlier. The European figures align with those in Spain, where the Model 3 was also the best-selling car of the month. It is the first time an electric vehicle has claimed this title in our country.

This is only the second time that Tesla’s two most popular models have occupied the top two spots in Europe’s monthly rankings. The previous occurrence was in December 2022. But the news goes beyond this American brand: according to official data, electric vehicle sales surged in a month when gasoline-powered vehicles continued to lose ground.

Tesla’s record with some nuances

Tesla delivered 66,035 cars in September, its best month in Europe. The previous record was set in March 2023 with 60,934 deliveries. And this figure will still rise, as these are preliminary numbers covering 98% of the market in the EU, the UK, and EFTA countries. Lithuania and Portugal are still missing from these figures, where Tesla typically sells over 1,000 cars per month.

That said, the brand tends to concentrate its deliveries in the last month of each quarter. This is evident with the Model Y: it dropped to 73rd place in July with only 5,138 sales, rose to seventh in August, and became number one in September. With this surge, it also leads in the nine-month cumulative total at 167,369 units (+52%). It has overtaken the Dacia Sandero, which had led since January and now has 162,969 units (-11%).

Electric cars gain ground

Records show that 245,120 electric cars were sold in Europe in September, more than double the figure from a year earlier. So far this year, sales have exceeded 2.1 million, a 39% increase. In contrast, gasoline car sales dropped by 14% in that month and by 6.3% over the first three quarters of the year. Rising fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East have boosted interest in affordable electric cars.

The change is evident in the high-volume models. Electric vehicles from brands such as Renault, Volkswagen, and BYD saw a 60% increase in September, reaching 182,558 units, accounting for 28% of that segment compared to 19% a year earlier. General-purpose gasoline models like the Sandero dropped from 46% to 37%.

In the monthly top 50, the Skoda Elroq ranks 24th with 12,129 units (+18.5%), and the Renault 5 E-Tech is in 38th place with 9,048 units (+42%). The Skoda Enyaq also makes the list at 42nd with 8,411 units (+52.5%), while the Renault Twingo E-Tech debuts at 50th place with 7,636 registrations.

Chinese brands are making a strong impact

The JAECOO 7, a mid-size SUV from Chery’s group brand, is the first Chinese model to make it into Europe’s monthly top 10. It ranked tenth in September with 15,470 units registered, a 66% increase. Of these, 10,814 were registered in the UK, where it became the best-selling car of the month. It is available with a gasoline engine and as a plug-in hybrid, the latter being the best-selling version. BYD also makes an impact. The BYD Seal U, sold as an electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid DM-i, finished 18th with 13,466 units registered (+17%). The BYD Atto 2 rose to 31st place with 10,501 units registered, up from just 1,073 a year ago.

The traditional brands hold strong

Behind the Teslas, the Volkswagen Golf was the third-best-selling car on the continent with 18,088 units registered, followed by the Sandero (17,547) and the Volkswagen Tiguan (16,457). The Mercedes GLC finished sixth with 16,317 registrations, a 58% increase thanks to the popularity of its new generation. For the full year, the Golf ranked third with 151,334 sales (+2.5%), ahead of the Volkswagen T-Roc and the Renault Clio.