Car buying preferences in Europe are not the same as in the US. Especially in the UK, concern for the environment has increased as has private vehicle use. About 85 percent of traveling happens in a car or taxi. But even we were surprised to see that the Tesla Model 3 was the best-selling vehicle in June. 

We’re not saying the Model 3 is the best-selling EV. No, it is the best-selling vehicle last month-EV or internal combustion, in the UK. It outsold the next-best-selling vehicle, the Volkswagen Golf, by over 800 cars. And the Golf, of course, is an ICE vehicle. 

What is the best-selling vehicle overall in the UK this year?

What is interesting about this news is that the Model 3 isn’t even in the top ten best-selling vehicles overall in 2021, in the UK. That distinction goes to the Vauxhall Corsa. The Golf is listed as the third best-selling vehicle so far this year, one down from the Ford Fiesta. 

Generally, smaller cars make up the top 10 vehicles in the UK for 2021. And cars are still a more popular platform than SUVs and crossovers. The top five best-selling vehicles are all cars with the Nissan Qashqai the first crossover to pop up at number six. 

With the UK banning ICE sales by 2030 EV sales in the UK have ramped up

Electric vehicle sales have increased by over 100 percent in June according to Teslarati. Part of that push is due to the UK banning sales of ICE vehicles by 2030. Obviously, the phase-out has clearly begun. In all, almost 5,500 Model 3s sold in June.

Across the pond in France, the Tesla Model 3 is the top-selling EV so far in 2021. Over 13,000 have been sold so far in 2021. The Model 3 beat out the next best-selling vehicle, the Renault Zoé, which sold 10,797 this year. 

The Tesla doing so well in France is unusual. That’s because, besides being an EV, it is an import. Domestic vehicles have traditionally been the top-sellers in the past, the two most popular being Renault and Peugeot.