Electric cars have had a further boost as it is has been confirmed that the Tesla Model 3 EV was Europe’s third most popular car across Europe in December.
The figures from automotive data firm JATO found that the American manufacturer registered 22,118 Model 3s across Europe last month – making it more popular than mainstream models like the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Polo and Nissan Qashqai.
The Model 3 was only beaten for registrations by the Volkswagen Golf (30,652) and Renault Clio (27,516).
It was also easily the most popular electric car, with the soon-to-be-replaced Renault Zoe in second (4,855) and the Audi e-tron in third (4,132).
The Model 3 has been making headlines around the world for its popularity and has appeared in the UK’s own best-selling chart on a couple of occasions.
Felipe Munoz, Jato’s global analyst, said: “As expected, Tesla continues to have an enormous impact on registrations at the end of each quarter and the Model 3 has put saloons back in the spotlight. The question is whether this trend is sustainable, or will electric SUVs hinder the popularity of Tesla Model 3 in the coming months?”
While new car sales might have been struggling in the UK, across Europe it’s a more positive tale, with total volume growing by 21 per cent to 1,258,412 units – the most models ever sold in the region in December.
SUVs also continue to grow in popularity, with eight of the top 20 best-selling cars in December sitting in this segment, and making up 42 per cent of the total volume of registrations.
