KEY POINTS
New European car registrations of Tesla vehicles totaled 8,837 in July, down 40% year-on-year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, or ACEA.
BYD recorded 13,503 new registrations in July, up 225% annually.
Elon Musk’s automaker faces a number of challenges in Europe, including intense ongoing competition and reputational damage to the brand.
There are a lot of better cars than Tesla. I’m personally a big fan of the Vauxhall Mokka-e, but I’d also much rather buy a Hyundai Kona electric than any Tesla.
Okay there’s nothing wrong with the Kona Electric, but neither of these cars is “better” than Tesla.
They are cheaper though. So that’s a perfectly good reason to get them instead of Tesla. You want better than Tesla, you have to look at Germany, Sweden or… Maybe the UK? Jaguar made some pretty OK EVs, which they unfortunately cancelled, but I do believe they’re planning to revise their entire strategy to become EV-only now?
Ah actually, the Hyundai Ioniq lineup deserves a look too, if you’re looking for something “better than Tesla” (well, comparable, anyway), without paying Mercedes or Volvo prices. The Ioniq 5 I test drove was quite fine, for a Korean car. Interior was nicer than Tesla’s IMO, there was an OK amount of power for the lowest spec model. Battery is big enough to facilitate roadtrips, or to commute several days, probably over a week, without charging (so if you forget to plug it in at home you don’t have to run to a quick charger that costs more + is worse for the battery). I will however say that the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq 5 was not nearly as comfortable as the 2003 Mercedes E-Class I drove home after the test drive. That’s what sucks about EVs for now, you can’t yet get super cheap depreciated executive/luxury ones for low enough prices that they’re essentially disposable and you’re not too worried if an expensive part breaks. And if you DO get an Audi E-tron for super cheap, you’re liable for a battery replacement that costs way more than the residual value of the car itself :(
Hyundai I’ve tested, although not Kona but Ioniq. It was ok, but not better than Tesla.