What do you mean “no options”? It’s possible to buy American, Japanese or even Chinese cars in Europe. Regarding the norms, nothing prevents the manufacturers from building cars exceeding the minimum norms.

Edit: it’s also possible to buy a non-diesel car. New petrol cars are actually cheaper than diesel. There are plenty of EVs available on the market. Heck, even hydrogen, if one really wants to.

In response to your edit: Petrol cars have always been cheaper than diesel ones to buy in the UK. They cost more to service too. Usually you have to be doing well in excess of 15-20,000 miles a year to make the extra expense worth it.

Also, doing low mileage in a modern diesel can cause issues because it doesn't get the opertunity to run the cycle that will burn the crap out of the particulate filter.

Hence diesel is so popular as fleet cars.

At the moment, my Dad gets a company car though and the Tesla Model 3 just popped up as an option on their portal. He and serveral of his colleagues are in the process of swapping.

My Dad does about 20,000 miles a year for work.

This is not widely known I think but there are significant tax advantages now available in the UK for low emissions/electric cars provided as a benefit in kind/through salary sacrifice schemes even where the car gets no business use at all.

It makes sense when the distances to travel are not long and even more sense for the fleet operators. The maintenance costs are so much lower.

You can buy them as long as they are built in europe.

Edit: a quick look at mobile.de will show you diesel is cheaper than petrol.

Second hand. Because they have higher mileage and because of the government push to remove Euro 4 and Euro 5 from the roads. So obviously people try to flog them left and right. There just tons of it on the market.

What do you mean “as long as they are built in Europe”. Are Teslas built in Europe? No.

Erm teslas are taxed in the eu. Not to mention conspiracy theories around how “bad electric” cars are.

Of course Teslas are taxed in the EU. Like any other car, even the ones manufactured in Europe. Or European cars in the US. I'm not sure what you are getting at.

"Presently, the EU imposes import taxes of about 10% on cars entering from the United States. This additional tax, which comes on top of the VAT that car buyers have to pay when purchasing a vehicle, has become an unnecessary handicap for companies like Tesla, whose cars become more expensive compared to local offerings."

The tariffs. Yes, indeed. A response to the US 25% tariffs on European light trucks. The Chicken Tax :)