Tesla’s UK new car sales dropped sharply by over 45% year-on-year in May, according to preliminary figures from research group New AutoMotive. The U.S. electric vehicle maker sold just 1,758 units last month, compared to 3,244 during the same period in 2023.
The decline comes as Tesla faces mounting competition in the electric vehicle (EV) market and growing public criticism of CEO Elon Musk’s political stance, particularly his alignment with far-right ideologies in Europe. This shift in public sentiment appears to be impacting Tesla’s brand appeal across key European markets.
Despite the drop, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) maintained its position as the top-selling battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand in Britain for the year to date. The company’s strong overall performance earlier in the year has helped it stay ahead of rivals, even as May figures suggest waning momentum.
The broader UK auto market showed resilience, with total new car registrations increasing by 4.3% to 144,098 units in May. Battery electric vehicle sales rose significantly—up 28% compared to a year earlier—highlighting continued consumer interest in EVs.
Meanwhile, Chinese automaker BYD (SZ:002594) made substantial gains, more than doubling its UK sales to 1,388 units. This growth underscores the rising influence of Chinese EV brands in Western markets, posing a stronger challenge to incumbents like Tesla.
As EV adoption accelerates and political perceptions weigh on brand loyalty, Tesla may need to recalibrate its public image and pricing strategies to defend its leadership position in the competitive UK electric vehicle sector.


Obayashi to Acquire Multiplex in $526M Expansion Deal
SpaceX Stock Slides After IPO Rally as Valuation Concerns Grow
Qantas Nears Launch of World’s Longest Non-Stop Flights to London and New York
Chinese Social Media Giant Xiaohongshu Eyes Hong Kong IPO at Over $70 Billion Valuation
Qantas Unveils Wellness-Focused Nonstop Sydney-London Flights to Reduce Jet Lag
Google’s Open-Source AI Data Center Cooling Design Raises Commoditization Concerns
G7 Explores AI Access Deal With U.S. Amid Anthropic Restrictions
Ukrainian Drone Makers Target Japan and Asia Defense Market
US Raises Concerns Over Possible ASML EUV Machine Transfer to China
Trump Administration Delays DeepSeek and CXMT Trade Blacklist Designations Amid U.S.-China Tensions
Meta Seeks Legal Shield From Child-Harm Lawsuits Amid KOSA Talks
HSBC Australia Faces A$35M Penalty Over Scam Protection Failures
John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race
TD Bank Expands Employee Monitoring Software to Boost Productivity Amid Privacy Concerns
Samsung Gains Interest from BYD, Google, AMD as AI Chip Demand Strains TSMC Capacity
SK Hynix Shares Hit Record High After Shipping Next-Generation HBM4E AI Memory Samples
Kingboard Holdings Shares Surge After HK$11.77 Billion Block Trade to Expand PCB and AI Supply Chain Business 



