Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) had one of the most turbulent business quarters in the company’s history in the first quarter of 2025. Shares dropped by 41.5% from January 2 to April 8, hitting a yearly low for the company at $221.86 a share.
Since then, Tesla’s share price has rebounded in a major way, recovering to $356.86 as of noon May 27. Sales numbers show that despite strong negative sentiment surrounding the company’s CEO Elon Musk, Tesla EVs have been selling like hotcakes compared to rivals.
Tesla saw an 8.6% sales decline year-over-year (from 140,187 units), but continued to surpass rivals. EVs from Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and Volkswagen offer variety to American car buyers, but they posed little threat to Tesla in Q1 from a sales perspective.
An electric vehicle sales report for the first business quarter of 2025 notes that Tesla sold 128,100 EVs, according to Kelley Blue Book. That’s more EVs than Toyota (5,610), Hyundai (12,843), Honda (9,561), Ford (22,550), Kia (8,656), and Volkswagen (9,564) combined.
Based on the numbers, both of Tesla’s two best-selling nameplates (the Model Y and Model 3) are outselling popular EVs from other brands by at least a 2:1 ratio.
Some automakers are lagging in terms of EV production but several companies, including Ford, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Kia, are producing competitive electric vehicles that have the capacity to rival Tesla EVs in sales from a performance perspective. So, why are Tesla EVs still so popular despite all the controversy surrounding the company?
The electric vehicle space is still in its infancy compared to the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle space in America. Automakers like Ford and General Motors have long histories of producing best-selling nameplates. Tesla arrived as the new kid on the block in 2003. In 2010 it went public with an initial public offering share price of just $1.59 (after accounting for stock splits), according to Forbes.
Its first few vehicles, the Roadster, Model S, and Model X, weren’t initially mainstream models. Instead the high-priced EVs focused on innovative features and performance. In 2017, Tesla introduced the Model 3 electric sedan, one of the best-selling EVs ever produced. The Model 3 had a lower MSRP than previous Tesla EVs, starting at just $36,200.
DJ Kamal Mustafa
I’m DJ Kamal Mustafa, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of EMEA Tribune, a digital news platform that focuses on critical stories from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan. With a deep passion for investigative journalism, I’ve built a reputation for delivering exclusive, thought-provoking reports that highlight the region’s most pressing issues.
I’ve been a journalist for over 10 years, and I’m currently associated with EMEA Tribune, ARY News, Daily Times, Samaa TV, Minute Mirror, and many other media outlets. Throughout my career, I’ve remained committed to uncovering the truth and providing valuable insights that inform and engage the public.
