Tesla registered 2,749 new cars in Portugal in September 2026, more than any other brand and 128% more than a year earlier, according to the monthly registration tables of ACAP, the Portuguese automotive association. That was 14.0% of a passenger-car market of 19,589, which itself grew 15.2%. Mercedes-Benz was a distant second with 1,494.
Battery-electric cars took 47.7% of the month's registrations: 9,338 cars, close to half the market. Over the first nine months the electric share is 29.0%.
September's top five brands
| Brand | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | 2,749 | 1,204 | +128.3% | 14.0% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 1,494 | 1,397 | +6.9% | 7.6% |
| Peugeot | 1,297 | 1,597 | −18.8% | 6.6% |
| Dacia | 1,259 | 1,350 | −6.7% | 6.4% |
| BMW | 1,204 | 1,197 | +0.6% | 6.1% |
| All brands | 19,589 | 16,999 | +15.2% | 100% |
On TeslAnt's arithmetic, Tesla's 1,545 extra cars account for about three-fifths of the market's 2,590-car increase, and Tesla alone registered 29% of the month's electric cars.
A 47.7% electric share puts Portugal above France's record 41.6% for the same month and below the Netherlands' 52.8%.
A quarter-end month, not a new normal
September closes Tesla's delivery quarter, and the month alone accounts for 30% of the 9,261 cars Tesla has registered in Portugal since January. The year-to-date picture is steadier. Tesla is up 59.4% on the first nine months of 2025, with 4.9% of the market, and ranks ninth among brands, 150 cars behind Citroën. Peugeot leads the year with 16,979.
The Model 3 against the Peugeot 2008
The closer race is between individual models. On ACAP figures published by Forbes Portugal, the Peugeot 2008 leads 2026 with 5,815 registrations, and the Tesla Model 3 is second on 5,784, a gap of 31 cars after nine months.
| Rank, Jan–Sep 2026 | Model | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peugeot 2008 | 5,815 |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 5,784 |
| 3 | Peugeot 208 | 4,992 |
| 4 | Citroën C3 | 4,796 |
| 5 | Dacia Sandero | 4,521 |
| 6 | Dacia Duster | 3,987 |
| 7 | Tesla Model Y | 3,461 |
The two Teslas are the only cars in the top ten that are sold exclusively as electric models. In Portugal the Model 3, not the Model Y, is Tesla's volume car. Its nine-month total is up from 3,531 a year earlier, while the Model Y rose from 2,264 to 3,461. The Peugeot 2008 went the other way, down from 6,271.
What decides the year
Three months remain, and Tesla's next quarter-end is December. At September's pace for the brand, 31 cars is less than a day of Tesla registrations. Whether the Model 3 finishes 2026 as Portugal's best-selling car will depend on how Tesla splits its December volume between the two models, and on how far the 2008 extends its lead in October and November, when Tesla's registrations are usually lower. ACAP publishes October's figures in early November.