This expensive car is the most popular in Europe and you don’t expect that

The most popular new car in Europe is the Tesla Model Y. With 71,683 registrations in the first quarter of 2023, it beats one of the cheapest cars in Europe, according to figures from Jato Dynamics.

By “one of the cheapest cars” we mean the Dacia Sandero. The car has a starting price of 16,700 euros and is therefore also significantly cheaper than the Tesla of around 47 grand.

Most popular car in Europe

At 60,202 units, the Dacia Sandero sold significantly fewer than the Tesla Model Y.

“The increase in production, coupled with fewer supply issues, allowed Tesla to finally ship vehicles to its customers. The Model Y is expected to be among the top five best-selling products in Europe by the end of this year,” said Felipe Munoz, analyst at Jato Dynamics.

The Tesla Model Y’s rise to the top of the list is nothing short of remarkable. Compared to Q1 2022, sales increased by 173 (!) percent.

Not only the Tesla Model Y shows positive numbers. In March 2023, the number of new European car registrations rose by 26 percent. “The increase in registrations is largely explained by unfulfilled orders from months ago,” says Munoz.

Although the Volkswagen Golf – one of the most popular cars out there – is the only car in the list that is still negative, Volkswagen has nothing to complain about. The company sold 25 percent more cars in Europe in the first quarter of 2023 than in the same quarter of 2022. MG can congratulate itself, the brand sold 122 percent more cars. The Chinese MG hasn’t been on the market that long, but is already proving itself as a brand for good budget EVs.

Test drive Tesla Model Y

In the following video, Dries van den Elzen explains why the Tesla Y is an attractive car for some and why it is now the most popular (electric) car.