The Tesla Model Y has stormed up the European sales charts, and is expected to be crowned the market’s best-selling vehicle of 2023.
Automotive News Europe reports that, per preliminary data from market researcher Dataforce, the Model Y will hold its lead over the Dacia Sandero and take the top spot.
The data shows 254,822 Model Ys were sold against 235,893 Sanderos, a considerably cheaper petrol-powered hatchback.
Dacia Sandero 
Tesla Model Y
Should this lead hold as expected, the Model Y would be the first electric vehicle (EV) to take the top spot in Europe. It would also be the first non-European car in the “modern era” to get the gold, though Model Ys are produced in Germany for European consumption.
The data collated by Dataforce is based on 97 per cent of sales in the European Union, as well as the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Price cuts by Tesla in 2023 have further spurred Model Y sales, and it was Europe’s best-selling model in seven of 12 months in 2023.
The Sandero was only in the top spot for four months of the year, with the remaining month won by the Volkswagen T-Roc.
Automotive News Europe reports Tesla has continued to reduce prices of its Model Y in Europe this year – by 4.2-9 per cent in Germany, by up to 11 per cent in Denmark, and by between 5.6 and 7.1 per cent in Norway – as it faces growing competition, including from newly introduced Chinese brands.
In Australia, the Model Y was the best-selling vehicle among private buyers in 2023. It was sixth overall when you take into account fleet, rental and government sales.
Tesla sold 28,769 Model Ys in Australia in 2023, with 20,577 of these – or 71.52 per cent – going to private buyers. It’s the first time an electric vehicle (EV) has topped the private sales charts.
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