Tesla Exceeds Expectations in Third Quarter Deliveries and Ends Sales Slump

Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla exceeded Wall Street expectations in third-quarter vehicle deliveries, putting it on track to end a two-year sales decline.

According to Visible Alpha data cited by Reuters agency, the company delivered 486 thousand 532 vehicles in the July-September period, surpassing analysts' average estimate of 456 thousand 896.

This delivery figure, which was 29 thousand 636 units above the market expectation, was supported by the recovery in the European market.

The company's shares rose more than 5 percent in early trading on Friday, having lost nearly a fifth of their value since the beginning of the year.

Latest data shows that the company's core vehicle business is gaining momentum again, even though investors' interest is increasingly shifting to artificial intelligence, autonomous taxis and humanoid robot projects.

Vehicle sales continue to be the largest source of income for the manufacturer, whose market value of approximately $1.40 trillion is largely based on these long-term targets.

"The strong numbers put Tesla on track for full-year delivery growth after a two-year decline. I point to the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system as the differentiator that makes consumers choose Tesla over other vehicles," Morningstar Senior Stock Analyst Seth Goldstein said in his assessment of the chart.

Tesla must deliver at least 311,448 vehicles in the fourth quarter to match last year's total deliveries and avoid the third consecutive annual decline.

This target represents a lower level of deliveries than the company has recorded in any quarter since mid-2022.

In the US market, after the $ 7,500 federal tax discount provided to electric vehicle buyers ended at the end of September 2025, sales were expected to remain below the record level in the third quarter of last year.

On the other hand, Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja announced in July that the company "exited the second quarter with the largest order accumulation since 2023."

Analysts increased their estimates for the first period of the year, increasing the delivery expectation from 1.65 million in June to 1.82 million for 2026 overall.

Yesterday, Tesla's smaller rival Rivian also confirmed its annual targets by exceeding market expectations in third quarter deliveries.

Tesla will share its quarterly financial statement after the markets close on October 21.