Continued buying interest in Tesla – but almost half of Swedes hesitant

To buy, or not to buy, Tesla

A total of 46 percent of Swedes state that they have become less inclined to buy a Tesla after the debate surrounding the company, Elon Musk and the conflict with IF Metall in recent years.

Only 2 percent say they have become more likely to buy the brand, while 16 percent say the debate has not affected them. Meanwhile, 33 percent say they are not considering Tesla as a car choice at all.

– It is clear that the debate has affected how some people view the Tesla brand. At the same time, it is still a very popular brand. We have not noticed any decrease in interest, number of bids or sales of used Tesla cars, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager at Kvdbil .

Women more skeptical than men

The survey shows clear differences between the genders. 50 percent of women say they have become less likely to buy a Tesla. Among men, the corresponding share is 42 percent.

Age also plays a role. Among younger adults, the proportion who have become more hesitant about Tesla is higher than in several older groups. At the same time, there are also more younger people who say they are not considering Tesla as a car choice at all.

High demand on the second-hand market

The survey comes as Tesla has had a challenging year on the new car front. The number of new Teslas registered in Sweden decreased by 67 percent in 2025, according to figures from Mobility Sweden.

Worldwide, the company also lost its position as the world's largest electric car manufacturer to Chinese BYD, which delivered 2.26 million cars compared to Tesla's 1.64 million.

At the same time, there are clear bright spots. In March this year , the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car in Sweden. And the development in the second-hand market remains strong. The number of sales increased to 23,881 in 2025, from 16,406 the year before – an increase of 45.6 percent, according to statistics from Vroom. 2026 has also started positively, with the first quarter showing over 1,400 more cars sold than the same period last year, corresponding to an increase of 25 percent.

– Tesla has faced both criticism and tougher competition, while having fewer new models recently. Nevertheless, we see continued strong demand, especially in the second-hand market, says Daniel Odsberg.

About the survey
The survey was conducted in Sifo's web panel (Sifopanelen) during the period March 3–11, 2026. A total of 1,040 people aged 20–79 with access to a car were interviewed.

The web panel is nationally representative and recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Sifo's web panel.