Tesla has launched the lower-priced version of its Model 3 car in Europe in a push to revive sales after a backlash against Elon Musk’s work with Donald Trump and weakening demand for electric vehicles.
Musk, the electric car maker’s chief executive, has argued that the cheaper option, launched in the US in October, will reinvigorate demand by appealing to a wider range of buyers.
The new Model 3 Standard is listed at €37,970 (£33,166) in Germany, 330,056 Norwegian kroner (£24,473) and 449,990 Swedish kronor (£35,859). The move follows the launch of a lower-priced Model Y SUV, Tesla’s bestselling model, in Europe and the US.
The cheaper Model 3 and Model Y cars drop some premium finishes and features of the more expensive versions, but still offer driving ranges above 300 miles (480km).
Tesla sales have slumped across Europe as the company faces increasingly tough competition from its Chinese rival BYD, which outsold the US electric vehicle maker across the region for the first time in spring.
Sales across the EU have also been hurt by a buyer backlash against Musk’s support for Trump’s election campaign and period working in the president’s administration.
In his role running the “department of government efficiency”, or Doge, the tech billionaire led sweeping job cuts, but quit in May and after falling out with Trump over the “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill.
Musk has also alienated customers through other controversial political interventions, including appearing to give a Nazi salute at Trump’s victory rally, showing support for Germany’s far-right AfD party, and accusing Keir Starmer and other senior UK politicians of covering up the scandal about grooming gangs.
New taxes on electric cars in last month’s budget could undermine UK demand, critics have said. UK electric car sales grew at their slowest rate in two years in November, at just 3.6%, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
“[This] should be seen as a wake-up call that a sustained increase in demand for EVs cannot be taken for granted,” said Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the SMMT. “We should be taking every opportunity to encourage drivers to make the switch, not punishing them for doing so.”
The chancellor’s new pay-per-mile road tax on EVs will charge drivers 3p for every mile from April 2028, costing motorists about £250 a year on average.