Tesla sales plunged 62 per cent in the UK last month amid a mounting backlash against ‘toxic’ boss Elon Musk’s role in Donald Trump’s administration.
The electric car maker sold just 512 vehicles in April, the lowest level in more than two years, and down from 1,352 in the same month in 2024.
That was despite the fact that the wider electric vehicle market grew by 8.1 per cent, according to the figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Separate data showed that Tesla sales in Germany fell by 46 per cent in April to 885, also hitting the lowest level in more than two years.
The trend has been widely attributed to a boycott by consumers who are angry at Musk’s key role in the US president’s administration.
Tesla’s UK department told This is Money that the low volume of registrations in the month of April was due to the company selling out of its UK-spec Model Ys.
Toxic: Consumers are angry at Tesla boss Elon Musk’s role in Donald Trump’s administration and have been boycotting the electric car firm
It said its available inventory of Model Y had cleared in late March, with only a small number of ex-demo and inventory legacy available.
‘Due to this, numbers reported by SMMT and others will predominantly reflect Model 3 deliveries, with a small amount of Model Y,’ a spokesperson told us.
Last week, Tesla began its first deliveries of the facelifted Model Y to a limited number of customers.
Currently, right-hand drive deliveries of Model Y are limited to the Launch Series edition as production ramps up at Giga Berlin.
Additional trims such as Rear Wheel Drive, Long Range Rear Wheel Drive and Long Range All Wheel Drive (non-Launch Edition) will become available for delivery with the car’s wider release in June.
‘Due to this ramp-up in production of right-hand drive Model Y, April, May and June delivery numbers will likely be affected,’ the spokesperson added.
Tesla UK told us that it had sold out of its remaining inventory of the pre-facelift Model Y in late March, meaning April sales are largely only Model 3 saloons. It says this is likely to be the case until June when outputs of the upgraded electric SUV are ramped up
Musk is spearheading a ‘department of government efficiency’, widely known by its acronym Doge.
Doge has gained notoriety for trying to ram through spending cuts, including the dismantling of USAID agency which helps some of the world’s poorest.
Protesters in many countries have targeted Tesla – on some occasions turning to extremes with dealerships set on fire or spray painted and cars vandalised.
Sales have dropped across Europe, with demand in Germany down more than 60 per cent so far this year.
Until now, Britain has bucked the trend, with Tesla sales for the year-to-date down by only 1 per cent.
But the chaos stoked by the Trump administration intensified last month as the President announced a series of steep tariffs on trading partners, setting off carnage on global markets.
That appears to have caused consumers’ patience to snap.
Shares in the firm are down almost a third so far this year wiping billions from Musk’s fortune. And it has warned that it could be hurt by the trade war launched by Trump.
Professor David Bailey, a motoring expert at Birmingham University, said: ‘Musk is toxic for many. Tesla sales are taking a big hit as a result.’
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