Tesla starts the year strong, but a small low-cost electric car sticks to its bumper

With more than 7,000 units sold in January, the Tesla Model Y was still the best-selling electric car in Europe. But the SUV has the Dacia Spring in its rearview mirror, which is hot on its heels with 4,242 copies sold during the same period and sales rising.

The electric car is attracting more and more people, it is an undeniable fact. And this even if price and range remain important deterrents for some and if many want a car that can drive far in one go. Which is actually a mistake. According to the latest figures from Hundred, Sales of electric cars increased by 14% last January compared to the same period in 2022 in Europe. On the other hand, registrations of plug-in hybrids fell 6%, which is not necessarily bad news.

Tesla is still on top

Unsurprisingly, it is once again Tesla who is at the top of the leaderboard. In fact, with no less than 7,174 units sold in Europe, the Model Y continues to be the best-selling electric car on the Old Continent. A good performance of the SUV, although sales are significantly lower than in December, when the brand sold 33,442 copies of its flagship model.

A drop that is explained by the logistics of Tesla, which delivers its cars in waves, due to its peripheral factories. In addition, it should be noted that the Model 3 does not appear at all in the ranking, with only 1,459 units sold. This is explained by the brand’s sales strategy, which waits to fill its ships before crossing the oceans. What explains the sawtooth deliveries and uneven results?while the sedan is not made in Europe at all, unlike the SUV, part of which is produced in Germany.

In fact, the latter is now assembled inside the Gigafactory in Berlin, which has also recently produced battery cells. Therefore, Tesla will have to work harder to sustainably maintain its place at the top of the ranking, while the manufacturer was overtaken by Volkswagen in December. However, Elon Musk’s firm was still the world leader in 2022, even ahead of the Chinese giant BYD, which is beginning to invade the European market with three models present at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Furthermore, according to data from Jato, It is the German group that is at the forefront of the best sales European markets in January, all engines combined, with 999,790 units. Thus, with only 9,365 cars sold, Tesla occupies the 24th position, despite the fact that sales rose 1,018% compared to last year.

The low cost concurrency

But if Tesla continues to top sales in January, the US firm will face increasingly fierce competition. Of course, we are thinking of the Chinese brands, which could give him a difficult year, but not only. Because one model in particular is hot on the heels of the Model Y, despite a completely different positioning. This is the Dacia Spring, of which 4,242 copies were sold last month in Europe.

The urban car, whose price increased slightly a few months ago and which offers a new, more powerful version, is now on the second step of the podium. It is followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 (3,812 units) and the ID.3 (3,348 units), which is recovering after a difficult start in 2019.

The electric Fiat 500 occupies the 5th position, while it was the best-selling electric car in Europe last April. It is ahead of the Volvo XC40 and the Skoda Enyaq iV. Just below it is the Peugeot e-208, followed by the Renault Mégane E-Tech, which was the best-selling electric model in Europe in July.

For now, no Chinese car is present in the ranking, but that does not prevent specialists from worrying about the invasion of Asian brands in the Old Continent. In fact, many are trying their luck, such as BYD, Xpeng, MG or even Nio, which recently received support from the European Union.

In France, the MG4 managed to dethrone the Renault Zoé in January, winning in the top 5. It is in 12th position in Europe for the month of January 2023.

The 10 best electric cars in Europe in January 2023

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