Volkswagen Was Europe’s Top Seller Of EVs

Volkswagen sold more electric vehicles in Europe than Tesla last year. The figures clearly show that the German manufacturer, which was embroiled in the Dieselgate scandal just as Tesla was preparing to launch the Model 3, has now overtaken the American brand on its home turf.

According to Dataforce data, Volkswagen sold 274,417 all-electric vehicles in Europe in 2025, a 56 percent jump from the 2024 total of 175,654.

Things haven’t been so good for Tesla. Last year, sales fell by 27 percent, from 326,714 to 238,765 units. This happened even though the Tesla Model Y remains the best-selling electric car in Europe, with 151,331 units sold last year, significantly more than the 94,106 units of the Skoda Elroq sold in the same period. However, Model Y sales are still down 28 percent from 2024, when 210,265 vehicles were sold.

What helped Volkswagen take the top spot from Tesla is the fact that it has a larger range of electric vehicles. For example, the VW ID.4 was sold in 80,123 units last year, a growth of 23.8 percent. A total of 78,667 VW ID.3 models were sold, which is an increase of 44.4 percent. ID.7 also saw growth, with 76,368 units finding new homes, an increase of 137.2 percent.

To put these numbers into perspective, it should be noted that Tesla sold 86,261 Model 3s. While that surpassed any single Volkswagen model, it was still a 23.6 percent drop from 2024.

Volkswagen’s strong year wasn’t just limited to electric vehicles. It also led the European plug-in hybrid (PHEV) segment, selling 159,173 units, a 205 percent jump from 2024. That was enough to easily beat BMW with 142,285 units sold, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 135,878 and Volvo with 104,270.

The VW brand also led in sales of both gasoline and diesel vehicles. Its gasoline-powered lineup sold 737,821 units in 2025, staying well ahead of Peugeot’s 492,133 units despite a 7.3 percent drop for the German brand. Diesel sales reached 269,277 units, down 19.4 percent from the previous year, but still enough to overtake Mercedes, which sold 250,326 units.

Traditional hybrids were the only powertrain segment where Volkswagen didn’t win top honors, while Toyota earned the crown with 626,675 vehicles sold. Although VW didn’t make the top five, things could change this year as it plans to launch a new T-Roc with a hybrid powertrain.

• Also See: Volkswagen Is Lowering The Cost of Manufacturing EVs In India