Tesla Drops Out Of Top Ten Electric Car Sales In Switzerland

For years, Tesla was synonymous with electromobility. The US manufacturer's cars were correspondingly popular with buyers. This is no longer the case: last month, for the first time in years, there was not a single Tesla model among the ten best-selling new electric cars in Switzerland.

Instead, the field is led by European manufacturers, as the latest figures from the importers' association Auto-Schweiz show. The Škoda models Elroq and Enyaq lead the ranking, followed by the Volvo EX30 and the BMW X1.

+ New Swiss electric cars regain traction but miss targets

In total, only 83 Tesla vehicles were newly registered in Switzerland in January. This represents a drop of around two-thirds compared to the same month last year. A look back at the past year is also sobering: the US company sold a total of 6,448 vehicles in 2025 – over a quarter fewer than in the previous year.

By comparison, electric car sales in Switzerland grew by a total of 15% in 2025. How the company explains its poor performance in Switzerland remains unclear. Tesla did not respond to an enquiry from the news agency AWP.

Industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer is not surprised by the development. He cites several reasons.“Tesla has grey vehicles, nothing really new and innovative.” The competitors are now technologically superior to the former US pioneer, he adds.

Dudenhöffer also sees problems with the model range. Tesla is not represented in the compact class and the company has given up on the luxury class.“And Model Y and Model 3 are basically one model in two variants.”

In addition, the US manufacturer now lacks a stable foothold. In the US, President Donald Trump's policies have put pressure on the e-car market, while European manufacturers are strongly positioned in Europe.“And in China, the centre of the world for electric cars, Tesla has been overtaken by BYD and other Chinese manufacturers.”

The controversial company boss Elon Musk and his closeness to Trump are also likely to put pressure on sales figures, according to Dudenhöffer.“This is an important reason for Tesla's deteriorating condition.”

2025 was a bad year for the electric car pioneer worldwide. Tesla closed the year with a slight decline in sales for the first time. Deliveries even fell for the second year in a row, dropping by almost a tenth to 1.6 million vehicles.

However, Musk put the importance of car sales for Tesla into perspective in front of investors and emphasised that the future of the company lies in self-driving robotaxis and human-like robots. The company is still in its infancy in both areas and faces strong competition.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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