European car registrations rose in May with strong EV demand, while regulators weighed the rollout of a driver-assistance system.
Tesla, the electric-vehicle maker, logged a year-on-year more-than-twofold rise in European new-car registrations in May to 28,610 units across the EU, the U.K., Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said.
May was the fourth consecutive month of growth for Tesla in Europe and the EU alone accounted for 21,767 of those registrations, a rebound that follows a period of decline during which Chinese competitors made big gains and Tesla faced customer backlash tied to Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration while he oversaw the Department of Government Efficiency.
The recovery sits alongside continued strength from Chinese brands: ACEA data show BYD registrations more than doubled to 32,380 units and Leapmotor rose nearly sixfold to 9,945, while the market for battery-electric vehicles in Europe grew 39%, hybrid-electric registrations gained 8.2% and plug-in hybrids rose more than 13%, with total passenger-car registrations up 3.6% in Europe and 3.2% in the EU.
Tesla’s rebound comes as it seeks wider EU acceptance for its Full Self-Driving software after the Netherlands approved the system in April and Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark and Belgium recognised that decision while EU authorities review a Netherlands Vehicle Authority application, and Tesla’s website notes FSD does not make cars fully autonomous and should be used with a fully attentive driver.
