When most people think of an electric vehicle, they think of Tesla. However, new European market data shows Volkswagen surpassing Tesla sales for the first time, according to Auto1News. Â
What's happening?
Europe has had a strong year for EV sales so far. Auto1News noted that the first quarter of 2025 was the best year in European history for EV sales — and Volkswagen was one of the automakers leading the charge with three of its "ID" models a top-10 selling EV.
Volkswagen has many models of EVs available in its "ID." line.
Its EVs are generally considered reliable and good options. Car and Driver rated the ID.4 — which ranked third, per AutoNews1 — an 8.5 out of 10. Many comments in the Reddit thread asking about the ID.4 were positive, with one commenter calling it the "best value EV on the market."
Tesla had cornered the EV market for years. However, this may no longer be the case for the European market. According to data from Reuters, "Quarterly sales were down 41.1% in France, 55.3% in Sweden, 12.5% in Norway, 55.3% in Denmark and 49.7% in the Netherlands."
Tesla still leads EV sales in the United States, and three of its models were among the top 10 EVs of 2024.Â
Even as the leader, Tesla's Q1 performance in the United States reported a 20% drop in auto revenue.
Why are EVs important?
EVs can significantly reduce our reliance on dirty energy to fuel our combustion-engine vehicles. Less pollution from burning fuel means cleaner air for everyone and a slower pace of global warming.
Some critics of EVs say that mining for materials to produce batteries and producing electricity to charge them are also bad for the environment.
Extracting resources has always been taxing on the earth, but scientists are developing ways to make the process cleaner and more efficient. Experts also recently discovered a recycling process for lithium batteries that can recover almost all materials.
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Cost 💰 Charging an electric vehicle can sometimes utilize coal, oil, or natural gas to produce electricity. However, they can also utilize renewable energy sources like solar and wind. EVs use less energy overall than fuel-powered cars.
What's being done about EVs and pollution?
No matter which auto company is leading the sales charts, EVs are a big step forward in reducing the harmful pollution that is warming our planet.
Switching to an EV, whether or not it is a Tesla, is not the only way you can reduce pollution. You can also slow to a stop at intersections rather than stopping quickly — this can reduce pollution by up to 22%.
Tesla sales continue to push more EVs onto our roads. As Felipe Munoz, a JATO analyst, told Business Insider, "Despite the controversy surrounding the brand's CEO and the limited availability of the new Model Y, Tesla continues to perform well."
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