New data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) confirms that Tesla registered just 8,075 vehicles across the EU, EFTA, and UK in January 2026, a 17% decline from the same month last year.
The drop is particularly damaging because January 2025 was already a weak month for Tesla, during the production transition to the refreshed Model Y. The broader battery-electric vehicle market, meanwhile, grew 13.9%, making Tesla’s collapse increasingly difficult to explain away as a timing issue.
BEV market grows despite Tesla dragging it down
Across the EU, EFTA, and UK, 189,062 battery-electric cars were registered in January 2026, up from 165,930 a year ago — a 13.9% increase. BEV market share in the EU reached 19.3%, up from 14.9% in January 2025, according to ACEA data.
France (+52.1%), Germany (+23.8%), and Denmark (+52.7%) drove much of the growth, while the overall car market contracted 3.5%.
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ACEA data for January 2026
The growth looks even stronger when you strip out Tesla’s numbers. Without Tesla, BEV registrations across the EU, EFTA, and UK were up 15.9% year-over-year — 180,987 units in January 2026 versus 156,197 a year earlier.
Tesla is not just failing to contribute to the EV transition in Europe; it is actively dragging down the growth rate.
BYD, in contrast, registered 18,242 vehicles in January 2026, surging 165% year-over-year and more than doubling Tesla’s volume in the region. The Chinese automaker now holds a 1.9% market share in the EU+EFTA+UK, compared to Tesla’s 0.8%.
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