We don’t know how Euro 2024 in football will end, but there has already been a shakeup in the European Car Championship this year. After the surprising Tesla Model Y became the best-selling car on the continent in 2023, following an increase in production pace at Tesla’s Berlin factory, this year, the Model Y has run out of steam in Europe.
The best-selling car in Europe in the first four months of the year is the affordable Dacia Sandero, which is expected to return to Israel later this year in the Sandero crossover version. The Sandero recorded 98,765 units sold (up 19.2%) and returned to the position it held two years ago.
The surprise is in second place: the Volkswagen Golf, which for years was the best-selling car on the continent but weakened in recent years as Volkswagen enthusiasts shifted to the T-Roc crossover, is making an impressive comeback with the launch of the facelifted eighth generation, surging in sales to 89,990 units (up 45.9%).
The Renault Clio is in third place with 85,990 cars sold (up 7.4%), followed by the Citroën C3, which surged with the launch of the new generation to 75,915 units (up 35.7%). Rounding out the top five is the Volkswagen T-Roc, with 74,757 units sold, the only top car to record a sales decline this year (down 3.7%).
The Toyota Yaris sees another increase in sales, climbing to sixth place with 74,074 cars sold (up 10.6%), followed by the Dacia Duster with 69,562 units sold (up 0.9%).
The Tesla Model Y is only ranked eighth, with 69,335 electric vehicles sold (down 16.4%), following reduced tax benefits for electric vehicles in Europe, a shortage of charging stations, and the difficulty in competing with high electric car prices.
Rounding out the top ten are the Opel Corsa with 66,540 cars sold (down 12%) and the Škoda Octavia, which put 66,100 cars on the continent’s roads (up 26%), showing improved production rates after overcoming component shortages.
However, Tesla can take solace in global sales. The Model Y was the best-selling car in the world in the first four months of the year, with 369,013 units sold (up 7.9%), narrowly ahead of the Toyota Corolla, which sold 366,967 cars (up 11.2%), and the Toyota RAV4, which continues to close the gap (323,901 units sold, up 28.6%).