Tesla’s disastrous Q1 sales plunge in Europe continues into the second quarter, industry figures have revealed.

Monthly data shows that Tesla sales were down sharply in April in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal, as well Sweden and France, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile Tesla’s last positive European market (the UK) where Tesla had reported stronger sales in the first quarter (up 6 percent) – April sales plunged 62 percent, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT). The drop came even as overall EV sales in the UK rose 8.1 percent in the UK for the month.

These figures come after Tesla’s board of directors recently denied reports it had opened a search to replace Elon Musk as CEO, after it allegedly reached out to several executive search firms (aka headhunters) to begin a search for a new CEO.

European sales

So how bad are Tesla’s sales in Europe in April? Well, pretty bad actually.

As noted above, in the UK Tesla’s April sales plunged 62 percent. So what changed? Well the UK saw the ending of a tax exemption – EVs had been exempt from the “luxury car tax” for vehicles worth £40,000 or more, but that exemption ran out on 1 April, 2025.

Tesla in the UK in an effort to keep positive sales figures, had also offered heavily discounted leases in the UK, it has been reported..

Now this exemption is gone, Tesla’s UK sales have crashed hard, and it only sold 512 new Tesla cars in April, down from 1,352 in April 2024 – figures that mirror declines in other key European markets.

Tesla sales in Germany are down 46 percent with only 885 cars sold; Tesla sales in France are down 59 percent; Tesla sales are down 67 percent in Denmark; down 74 percent in the Netherlands; down 33 percent in Portugal; and down down 81 percent in Sweden, according to data from trade groups in each of those countries, Reuters reported.

It should be noted that Tesla itself doesn’t report monthly sales and doesn’t break out sales by market, and so far has no publicly commented on April’s sales.

Sobering financials

Tesla’s sales decline came despite US President Donald Trump turning the White House driveway into a Tesla showroom, when he publicly purchased a red Model S costing $80,000 for his staff to use.

Tesla’s first-quarter earnings in late April also provided sobering reading for investors, as they revealed a 20 percent fall in automotive revenues, while profits plummeted a staggering 71 percent.

This resulted in Elon Musk on an earning call to confirm that going forward he will prioritise Tesla over his White House role at Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

Tesla also did not issue guidance on its sales volume for the year ahead.

But some analysts expect a drop in Tesla’s full-year sales given both its recent sales declines and the backlash against Musk.

Brand damage

At Doge, Musk carried out a chaotic cost cutting exercise of federal departments, similar to when he had taken control of Twitter (now called X).

Musk had previously stated they would cut approximately $2 trillion from the federal budget and cut regulations.

However Doge’s website currently claims its cuts have led to an estimated $165 billion in savings.

But Musk’s estimates of cost savings have been challenged by experts, and Doge has also previously deleted some of the largest purported savings.

Musk’s support of Donald Trump, coupled with his support of far right causes, and political interventions in foreign countries, have taken a hefty toll on Tesla, with some analysts warning of significant self-inflicted brand damage.

In March Electrek for example reported that Tesla as a brand could be finished in Germany, after T-Online conducted a survey of over 100,000 Germans which revealed that 94 percent of respondents will not buy a Tesla vehicle ever again.

Also in March data from by US car shopping site Edmunds showed that Tesla owners have been trading in their vehicles at record levels since Musk joined Trump’s Doge.

Earlier in April, Tesla had reported a 13 percent decline in first quarter deliveries from a year earlier, down to 336,681.

Meanwhile protests continue at Tesla showrooms, as well as arson attacks on Tesla dealerships, charging stations, and Tesla EVs.