Electric Vehicles

Tesla Model 3 leads Europe EV sales as electric and hybrid cars overtake diesel

Published by

The Driven

Tesla, Volkswagen and Renault led a landmark moment in the auto industry in Europe in September, when more electrified vehicles were sold than diesel-fuelled cars.

More than 300,000 auto sales in September were electrified, accounting for 25% of sales for the first time ever as diesel sales fell to 24.8%, down from half of all sales in 2010. Almost half of those electric sales were for plug in electric cars.

The new figures released by European auto industry analytics JATO show that the path to recovery for the auto industry – after a 29 per cent drop worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic – will be driven by battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and non-pluggable hybrid vehicles (HEVs).

September sales saw a small  1.2% increase in car sales year-on-year in Europe, but more telling is the nosedive in diesel sales compared to a marked increase in electrified sales.

Source: JATO

Tesla sold 15,702 Model 3 electric sedans, gaining first place in the electric segment, as well as beating 15,093 hybrid Corolla sales by Toyota.

Tesla has long been a driver of EV sales in Europe, but it now has local players to contend with as it works to complete its Berlin gigafactory and begin its planned onslaught of Model Y crossovers.

To read the full version of this story, please go to our EV-focussed sister site, The Driven and click here…

Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

Bridie Schmidt

Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Graph of the Day: Batteries overtake gas in morning peaks in Australia’s most advanced renewable grid

Batteries are delivering higher peak morning supply than gas. Gas is still twice as large…

15 March 2026

How does Australia compare on wind turbine density? The answer might surprise you

How does Australia compare to the rest of the world on the number wind turbines…

15 March 2026

Why an oil crisis is bad news for Australia’s biggest coal state – and how to break the cycle

One state in Australia remains particularly vulnerable to global oil shocks because it hasn't built…

13 March 2026

Energy Insiders Podcast: How the world’s fourth biggest economy plans to reach 100 pct clean energy

David Hochschild, the head of the California Energy Commission, on how the world's fourth biggest…

13 March 2026

When will the energy sector understand the National Energy Objective? When will governments enforce its intent?

Fifty years of cheap gas and electricity and intensive marketing have distorted perceptions. Every element…

13 March 2026

“It is paramount:” AEMO says system and market operator functions must be kept together

Australian Energy Market Operator says its system and market operation functions should not be separated…

13 March 2026