First-quarter figures now available show Tesla’s electric SUV is outselling Toyota Corolla and RAV4
The 2023 Tesla Model Y is currently the world’s best-selling car, with figures now available showing the battery-electric SUV is leading the charts based on the first quarter of trading this year.
This is the first time the Tesla Model Y – and indeed, an electric car of any description – has achieved the feat, based on data from 152 markets compiled by industry analyst JATO.
From January to March 2023, the US car-maker sold an incredible 267,200 Tesla Model Y EVs, marking a 68 per cent increase over the same period last year.
Recent price cuts, plus the rapid expansion of Tesla into new markets, were key drivers to earning the number-one spot, although the Model Y has been on an upward trajectory for some time, taking fourth place overall for the 2022 calendar year with 759,579 sales.
Currently in second place is the long-time best-seller, the Toyota Corolla, which has been the world’s most popular car since 1997 and last year hung onto the title with 1.12 million sales – ahead of the RAV4 (868,309) and Ford F-Series (786,337).
In the first quarter of this year Toyota shifted 256,400 examples of the Corolla hatch, sedan and wagon, dragged down by a 29 per cent sales decline in China and a 10 per cent drop in the US.
In third place was Toyota’s HiLux (214,700), followed by RAV4 (211,000) and Camry (166,200).
In Europe, the Tesla Model Y also conquered more established competition from the likes of Ford, Opel and Volkswagen to dominate first-quarter sales.
Over that period, Tesla delivered 71,683 Model Ys – a 173 per cent increase over the same period last year. The Dacia Sandero lurked a long way behind in second spot with just 60,202 sales, while the Volkswagen T-Roc sat in third place (54,960).
Volkswagen was still the best-selling brand overall in Europe, delivering 332,723 units – more than three times what Tesla could manage over the same period (93,559.)
In the first quarter more than five per cent of total European sales were EVs.
In Australia, VFACTS figures to the end of April show that the Model Y is currently in 14th position with 5264 sales.
The Tesla Model 3 sedan is faring better much at 8819, which places it third behind the dominant Ford Ranger (17,297) and Toyota HiLux (16,179).
Keyword: Tesla Model Y EV is the world’s best-selling car this year