Tesla's European registrations mixed in July despite broader EV momentum

By Amir Orusov and Mathias de Rozario

Aug 3 (Reuters) - Tesla's July registrations across several European markets painted a mixed picture on Monday, with strong gains in France and Denmark offset by sharp declines in Norway, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Registrations of Tesla's vehicles, a proxy for sales, rose 86% in France and 52% in Denmark from a year ago, according to data from French car body PFA and Denmark's bilstatistik.dk.

However, registrations plunged 97% in Norway, 60% in Sweden, 81% in Spain, 69% in Portugal and 77% in Italy, according to figures from OFV, Mobility Sweden, ANFAC, ACAP and Italy's transport ministry.

The broader European electric-vehicle market appeared strong in July, supported by government incentives in France and continued growth in battery-electric vehicles in markets such as Denmark, said Rico Luman, senior economist at ING Research.

Tesla appears to be prioritising markets with generous incentives such as Germany, where volumes could rise sharply in the second half of 2026, and France, said Matthias Schmidt, European auto market analyst at Schmidt Automotive, adding that weaker sales elsewhere could be reflecting that strategy.

Andy Leyland, co-founder of supply-chain specialist SC Insights, cautioned against reading too much into a single month's sharp drop in Norway.

"Such a large change is usually reflective of either shipment timings, or a taxation change," he said.

Tesla's sales in Europe have rebounded this year after two straight annual declines, helped by easier comparisons, higher fuel prices, government incentives and growing consumer interest in EVs.

Overall registrations of new BEVs rose 51% in June, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

Last month, Tesla reported record second-quarter deliveries that beat Wall Street estimates, helped by the recovery in Europe.

Registration data from Britain and Germany, Europe's two largest car markets, is due later this week.

(Reporting by Amir Orusov and Mathias de Rozario in Gdansk. Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak and Mark Potter)