A new study conducted by market research firms Uranos from Hamburg and Dynata from Connecticut indicates that Tesla is benefiting from the German electric vehicle (EV) boom not as strongly as might be expected. Despite the fact that nearly one in four newly registered cars in Germany during the first half of this year was an electric model, Tesla’s market share remains low, hovering just under two percent. This is a decline from its peak of 2.6% in 2022. Specifically, Tesla sold close to 70,000 vehicles in 2022, while sales for the first half of this year totaled just under 29,000.
Björn Welzel, a co-founder of Uranos, commented that the Tesla brand is not as strong as it was a few years ago. He argued that the primary cause is linked to Elon Musk. In his opinion, the brand’s market share could be much higher if he had not made specific political stances. According to the study, Musk reportedly worked for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration around 2025 and has repeatedly shown sympathy for the AfD party, actions that Uranos previously analyzed led many customers to abandon Tesla.
To analyze public perception, Uranos and Dynata surveyed 1,031 Tesla owners and prospective EV buyers to gauge their attitudes toward both Tesla and Musk.
In general, the transition to an EV is driven less by environmental concerns (cited by 51 percent) and more by economic advantages (49 percent). This trend is attributed to the new purchase subsidies for EVs and increased gasoline prices following the war in Iran.
Tesla is also gaining from this shift. Supporters indicate they are interested in the brand because they view it as innovative (56 percent), want to switch to an electric car (52 percent), or are impressed by its technological achievements (43 percent). Conversely, Tesla opponents primarily base their rejection on Musk’s political or controversial statements (50 percent) and his public behavior (44 percent).
The survey further suggested that attitudes towards Tesla are determined less by age or income and more by fundamental worldview. Welzel concluded by noting, “The pro-camp thinks in a neoliberal way, while the contra-camp is characterized by left-progressive thought.”
