Tesla first quarter EV sales slump 60 pct in Australia, despite small rebound in Model Y

Note: This story has been updated and heavily rewritten after the Electric Vehicle Council admitted they sent out the wrong comparisons for the month of March and the March quarter data.

Sales of Tesla electric vehicles slumped 60 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 in Australia, despite a small rebound in the sales of its best selling Model Y and the Model 3 in the month of March, according to new data.

The Electric Vehicle Council data reveals that Tesla sold 2,829 EVs in Australia in March, down 53 per cent from the same month last year, and sold a total of 5,160 EVs in the first three months of the year, a fall of 59.65 per cent fall from the same period in 2024.

The Model 3 is down 65 per cent over the first three months of the year, with 2,046 units sold and 1,104 in the month of March, while the Model Y is down 54.44 per cent, selling 3,114 units so far this year, and 1,725 in March, compared to 6,835 in the March quarter last year and 4,379 in the month of March in 2024.

The stats show a recovery in March from the very low January and February quarters, and come after Tesla itself revealed a 13 per cent slump in global EV sales in the first three months of the year, even as the overall  global EV market grew strongly, and biggest rival BYD shot to the top of the EV ranks with a 39 per cent jump in sales.

The big slump in Tesla sales is being blamed on a combination of increased competition, a buying pause ahead of the release of the refreshed Model Y, and the consumer pushback against CEO Elon Musk’s political interventions.

The EVC provides data for only Tesla and Polestar, who both quit the main car lobby, the FCAI, last year in protest against its position on transport and emissions policies.

Polestar sales are up 12 per cent over the first quarter to 389 units, with its Polestar 2 slumping 64 per cent to just 123 for the first three months, but more than made up by the sale of 245 Polestar 3 and 21 Polestar 4s.

Tesla’s global sales data paint a miserable story, with the sales data for the March quarter coming in significantly below analysts forecasts, even after they had been revised down because of the Musk factor, and from increased competition, particularly in China where Tesla has been forced to offer zero interest loans to keep abreast.

The Musk factor has provoked consumer boycotts in north America and Europe, widespread demonstrations led by the “Tesla Takedown group, its removal from government rebate schemes, particularly in Canada, and incidents of major violence in the US, Canada, Ireland, France and Italy.

Note: This story has been updated after the EVC admitted it had got the numbers in their previous release completely wrong.