How does Elon Musk operate with the awareness that, when it comes to his electric car business, which in the first place wasn’t his own idea but another’s vision that he later steered, things are anything but green? Many other things could be as interesting as noting Tesla sales figures in the beating heart of the UK at the moment, such as watching the highlights of the West Indies cricket team’s fascinating Test match draw against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, the number of households destroyed by pigeons doing what they best do, a four letter word that egotistical lives are full of.
And it’s not life, but the output we leave behind and at times, for others to flush!
However, dull jokes and sarcasm kept aside, the following wouldn’t please Elon Musk: EV-legend, the man who bought Twitter and made it X, one of the finest contributors to the world, where South Africa is concerned and a certain Georgia Meloni admirer:
In November 2025, Tesla’s car sales in the UK dropped noticeably. New data shows Tesla registered 3,784 cars during the month, which is a 19% decrease compared with the 4,680 cars it registered in November last year. This means fewer people bought Teslas than before.
The whole UK car market also slowed down. Total new-car registrations fell by 6.3%, reaching around 146,780 vehicles.
Let that sink in.
Therefore, overall demand for new cars wasn’t strong, was it?
Electric car sales in general were mixed.
Fully electric cars (called BEVs) had a small drop. Around 38,742 new electric cars were registered, which is 1.1% less than the year before. However, plug-in hybrid cars (PHEVs), which run on both electricity and fuel, became more popular.
Their registrations went up by 3.8%, reaching about 16,526 vehicles.
Even with these ups and downs, cars with some form of electrification (BEVs, PHEVs or hybrids) made up more than half of all new cars sold. In November, they accounted for 51.4% of all new registrations. This shows that the UK is still moving steadily toward cleaner vehicles, which is a hundred per cent good news.
So what’s not working for Tesla at the moment in the UK?
Competition is one of the main reasons Tesla’s numbers fell. And they did, should there be a doubt.
Other brands, especially Chinese carmaker BYD, are quickly gaining attention. BYD’s registrations more than tripled, rising to around 3,217 cars. These brands are offering more models, attractive prices, and newer designs, which appeal to many buyers.
Another challenge for Tesla is its older model lineup. At the same time as the company has refreshed some vehicles like the Model Y, many of its competitors have recently launched a wide variety of new electric cars. So competition is definitely growing, and at a rate higher than ever before.
Overall, the data suggests the UK electric-vehicle market is growing in choice and variety. But Tesla is no longer the automatic top pick for buyers, as new and more affordable options continue to enter the market.
