FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Tesla's Model 3 topped European car sales in September, marking the first time an electric vehicle has done so in monthly charts, research group JATO Dynamics said on Monday.

At 24,591 cars registered, Tesla's Model 3 recorded year-on-year growth of 58%, followed by Renault's Clio, Dacia's Sandero and Volkswagen's Golf model, JATO said.

In the battery electric vehicle segment, Tesla's Model 3 and Y ranked first and second, with Volkswagen's ID.3 in third place.

"The strong performance of the Model 3 is in part explained by Tesla's intensive end-of-quarter sales push," JATO said.

"September has historically been a strong month for the US manufacturer's registration results in Europe, on average accounting for 68% of its third-quarter deliveries since 2018."

The landmark sales figures come as Tesla awaits final approval for its first European gigafactory in Gruendheide near Berlin, with CEO Elon Musk hoping production can start this year, despite red tape in Germany.

Last week, Brandenburg's regional environmental ministry said an online consultation for local citizens to express objections to the factory would be repeated over concerns the process did not comply with regulations.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Bernadette Baum)