With more than 137,000 copies sold, the Tesla Model Y was officially the most registered electric car in Europe in all of 2022. But the brand will have to face a very serious threat from China.
If many motorists are not yet ready to switch to electric, unless the autonomy is quite large, this motorization is gaining more and more followers. In France alone, it represented 13.3% of sales in 2022 according to figures from the CCFA, then surpassing sales of diesel models in December. If the market was then dominated in December by the Dacia Spring and the Tesla Model 3, the European results are slightly different.
Tesla always on top
If the Peugeot 208 was the best-selling car on the Old Continent in 2022 according to HundredWith all engines combined, the electric market was then dominated by the Tesla Model Y. In fact, throughout the past year, the SUV, notably assembled at the Gigafactory in Berlin, was sold 137,052 units throughout Europe according to figures from the firm specializing in data related to the automotive industry.
If in December it was confirmed as the best-selling electric car in Europe, with 33,442 registrations, it is also best seller all last year. Thus, it far exceeds the Tesla Model 3, which accumulated 91,475 sales in 2022, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4. The electric SUV cousin of the new Audi Q4 e-tron is also on the third step of the podium in the December standings.
The electric Fiat 500, which last April was the best-selling electric car in Europe, has been left behind. In December only 8,333 units were registered according to figures from clean technique, up from 66,198 since January. The electric city car must then, in particular, deal with a Dacia Spring that sold better than it at the end of the year, with 9,694 registered copies.
It must be said that the low-cost electric car, which has offered a new, more powerful variant, is distinguished by an unbeatable price, shown from 20,800 euros, ecological bonus of 5,000 euros not discounted. For comparison, the little Italian starts at 30,400 euros and is also eligible for government aid. The latter could also reserve this boost for cars assembled in the European Union, which is not the case with the Spring.
the chinese threat
Despite the presence of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 at the top of the ranking of best European sales of the year, it is the Volkswagen group that continues to dominate the market for electric and rechargeable hybrids. In total, the company, owner in particular of Skoda, Audi, Seat and even Cupra, sold 349,147 100% electric cars in 2022compared to 232,018 for Tesla and 230,383 for Stellantis.
In the world, Tesla is the leader, ahead of BYD while Volkswagen occupies the third position, almost tied with the Chinese manufacturer Wuling financed by the American GM.
The American firm, however, experienced a strong acceleration, with registrations increase by 38% compared to 2021. But if it has just broken its own world record with more than a million cars delivered by 2022, it will have to deal with a new threat from China. If your situation was already worrying in this market, with many vehicles in stock without finding buyers, the Asian manufacturers are determined to give you a hard time.
And that shows us. The Geely group, owner of Volvo, Lotus, Lynk & Co, as well as the young Geometry brand that could also reach Europe, saw their sales increase by 122%. Overall, Chinese trademark registrations increased by 129% in the Old Continent. A figure that must be put into perspective, however, since the latter were almost non-existent in the territory the previous year.
But this is still not reassuring, while specialists have been sounding the alarm about the invasion of Chinese manufacturers in Europe for several months. Many of them are arriving here, such as BYD, Xpeng or even Nio, which has just received subsidies from the European Union to develop its battery swapping stations here.
The 10 best electric cars in Europe in December 2022
| Car | December 2022 |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | 33 442 |
| tesla model 3 | 30 335 |
| VW ID.4 | 18 685 |
| VW ID.3 | 11,561 |
| dacia spring | 9 694 |
| fiat 500e | 8 333 |
| Renault Megane E-Tech Electric | 8 084 |
| Volvo XC40 recharge | 7,732 |
| cupra born | 7,489 |
| VW ID.5 | 7 277 |
The 10 best electric cars in Europe from January to December 2022
| Car | January – December 2022 |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | 137 052 |
| tesla model 3 | 91 475 |
| VW ID.4 | 67 490 |
| fiat 500e | 66 198 |
| VW ID.3 | 53 015 |
| Skoda Enyaq IV | 49 566 |
| dacia spring | 48 535 |
| Peugeot e-208 | 46 616 |
| electric hyundai kona | 41 226 |
| be niro | 38 522 |
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