The US and Europe have a bit of a trying relationship as of late. But even with a problematic dynamic, there is one thing many Europeans and Americans seem to agree on. That thing? How much they hate Tesla. Or at least how few of the brand’s EVs they’re buying in 2025. 

Even with wounded relations between the US and Europe, Tesla hate seems to be a common factor on both sides of the Atlantic

What did your mom always tell you? “Hate is a strong word.” She didn’t want you to use the word anymore than she wanted you to express it. Well, if the brand’s eccentric CEO is to be believed, “Tesla hate” is alive and well in the United States, manifesting in every way from protest boycotts to vandalism and arson. 

However, the Tesla hate isn’t exclusive to the American domestic market. Far from it. Europeans are similarly protesting Elon Musk and his political affiliations. However, while much of the Tesla hate in the United States revolves around Musk’s government influence, mass firings, and program cutting, Europeans are up in arms regarding the CEO’s ties to far-right politics on the continent. And the impact, Tesla is having a hell of a time in the European market.

According to Reuters, European buyers are opting for Chinese EVs over Tesla’s BEVs, and the sales figures show. Swedish buyers bought 81% fewer Teslas last month, a two-and-a-half-year low. Denmark, a country with which the United States has strained relations over Greenland, bought 67.2% fewer Teslas. That means hundreds of new car sales in many European countries, not thousands. 

So you might think the so-called Tesla hate is indicative of a diminished European EV market. It’s not. Battery electric vehicle sales on the continent increased 28% in Q1 of 2025. In that same timeframe, Tesla’s European sales plummeted over 37%.

Elon Musk bears much of the blame for the Tesla hate and slumping sales. Ginny Buckley of Electrifying.com reports that 59% of polled Europeans were less likely to buy a Tesla specifically because of Musk. “The brand has taken a reputational hit here in Europe,” Buckley said. But, unlike the American EV market, Europeans have access to cheaper Chinese BEVs from brands like BYD and Xpeng. 

It’s a sentiment shared by American buyers, albeit not as dramatically so. Americans bought 13% fewer Teslas in Q1 2025 over the same period last year. Still, despite the staggering loss of popularity, Tesla won’t have to contend with Chinese EV competition in the American market for the foreseeable future.