Tesla bosses have been left embarrassed once again after discovering that sales plummeted by 13% during the first quarter of 2025. During the first three months of the year, the Elon Musk-owned company sold 336,681 cars globally - around 50,000 less compared to the same period in 2024.

The drop marks the biggest fall for Tesla since the second quarter of 2012 - around the time that the electric car brand launched the Model S, their first mass-produced family car.

Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities highlighted that the significant drop in sales came at a time in which Elon Musk became more publically involved in politics.

"The time has come for Musk," he said. "It’s a fork in the road moment. The more political he gets with Doge, the more the brand suffers. There is no debate. This quarter was an example of the damage Musk is causing Tesla."

One of the biggest causes for Tesla's sales decline has been the increasing role that Elon Musk has had in President Trump's administration, being the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

Mr Musk's outspoken opinions resulted in a number of attacks on Tesla cars and showrooms, with police officers in Italy investigating a case of possible arson after 17 examples at a dealership were destroyed in a fire.

The attacks have also caused a number of current Tesla owners to decorate their cars with stickers poking fun at the company's owner and, in extreme cases, replacing the badges with the logo of a rival car brand.

Whilst the UK saw a 21% increase in sales of new Teslas during February 2025, many other markets experienced a significant slump as EV buyers chose rival models.

Over the 28-day period, the biggest sales drop was experienced in Germany, where dealerships recorded a 76 percent decline to just 1,429 examples - a stark contrast to the 30.8 percent increase in demand for new EVs.

In addition to the company's CEO dividing opinions, the decline in sales has largely been blamed on the ageing line-up of models, with the latest revision being the facelifted Model 3, which launched in 2023.

To help revive demand across key markets, Tesla has started production of the Model Y Juniper - a substantially revised version of the company's best-selling model.

Whilst the general shape of the compact crossover has remained the same, the new Model Y offers a few styling tweaks that are similar to the controversial Cybertruck, including a thin lightbar at the front and a lower bonnet line.

The Tesla Model Y Juniper is also slightly more affordable than its predecessor, with prices now starting at £44,990 for the Rear-Wheel Drive, which features a 311-mile range and 0-62mph acceleration time of 5.6 seconds.