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Tesla Model Y Is Europe’s Best-Selling Car in September 2026, With Model 3 in Second

Tesla Canada
Overhead view of a dark grey refreshed Tesla Model Y with a full-width front light bar crossing a street

The Tesla Model Y was Europe’s best-selling car in September 2026, and the Model 3 finished second, according to preliminary Dataforce registration data reported by the Dutch outlet AutoWeek and by Automotive News. That puts two electric cars at the top of Europe’s overall car market, not just the EV segment.

The September numbers

The preliminary data covers the European Union, the U.K., Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, and was about 98% complete when published:

  1. Tesla Model Y: 40,971 registrations, up 55% from September 2025
  2. Tesla Model 3: 25,057, up 106%
  3. Volkswagen Golf: 18,088

Tesla’s brand total for the month was 66,035 registrations, Drive Tesla Canada reported, citing AutoWeek. By that count, the Model Y alone outsold the entire Opel brand (38,071) and the entire Ford brand (36,579). Automotive News said it was a monthly record for Tesla in Europe, and that China’s Jaecoo 7 entered the top 10.

The Model Y was also Germany’s best-selling car with 8,038 registrations, while the Model 3 topped the charts in Spain. Overall, Europe’s new-vehicle registrations rose 10% and battery-electric registrations jumped 60%. Official ACEA figures come later and may adjust the numbers slightly, NotATeslaKiller noted.

What Tesla said on its earnings call

On Tesla’s Q3 2026 earnings call on October 21, CFO Vaibhav Taneja said preliminary data suggests the Model Y was the No. 1 selling EV in Europe for the quarter. Tesla’s update deck reports record production at Gigafactory Berlin, and vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said Tesla has applied for permits to expand the Berlin factory. Reuters noted that high gasoline prices have stoked EV demand, especially in Europe.

FSD (Supervised) is now approved in nine EU countries, used by over 100,000 customers there, according to the deck. Elon Musk said Tesla is hoping for EU-wide approval, adding that he would be surprised if it takes longer than Q1. Taneja said Tesla is offering some benefits on certain cars in Europe to grow its fleet before a broader approval.

On X, @elonmusk reposted a post from @XFreeze highlighting the top-two finish.

Why it matters in Canada

Tesla also reported record quarterly deliveries in Canada in Q3, alongside Australia, Japan and Taiwan. For more on the market here, see our look at Canada EV sales in August 2026 and Tesla’s plan for a second, larger Giga Berlin hall.

Love seeing Model Y and Model 3 on top? Join 17,000+ Ontario Tesla fans in Canada’s most active Tesla community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/teslamodelyand3/. You can also join our X community, Tesla Model* [Ontario, Canada], for quick updates.

Sources