Tesla’s Model Y has once again set the pace in the electric vehicle market, clinching its third consecutive best-seller title in 2025 and reinforcing its position as the world’s most popular EV.
This milestone caps off a tumultuous but triumphant 2025, cementing the vehicle as a dominant force in the entire global EV automotive market.
Announcing this achievement, Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a post on X wrote,
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
“Tesla Model Y is now officially the world’s best-selling car for the third year in a row!”
Replies from users express mostly positive sentiments, with owners noting improved ride quality and visual appeal, though some prefer the previous headlights, aligning with the refresh’s focus on efficiency gains and features like ventilated seats per Tesla’s specs.
Independent tracker Focus2Move ranks the Model Y third globally for 2025 with a 12.7% sales drop, behind Toyota RAV4 (up 0.6%) and Corolla (down 8.1%), reflecting varied sales methodologies across sources.
Despite the ranking dispute, the Model Y’s performance solidifies Tesla’s EV dominance, with over 1 million units sold annually, per aggregated 2025 estimates from multiple analysts.
Tesla highlighted the milestone in its official 2025 recap video, which claimed that the Model Y was the single best-selling vehicle model in the world this year. In a short post accompanying the video, the company wrote, “See y’all in 2026 – the best is yet to come.”
Tesla’s Model Y Breakthrough Achievement
Tesla’s Model Y is a distinctively modern EV that offers more range and quicker acceleration than many of its competitors.
In 2023, the Tesla Model Y became the world’s best-selling car model, marking a major milestone in automotive history. Preliminary full-year sales data compiled by market analysts indicated that Tesla sold approximately 1.22 million Model Y units globally, surpassing stalwart best-sellers such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Toyota Corolla.
This achievement was unprecedented, as never before had a fully battery-electric vehicle topped global passenger car sales, which had been dominated for decades by traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.
Tesla’s rise to the top reflected a combination of aggressive price adjustments, strong consumer demand in major markets like China, Europe, and North America, and the accelerating shift toward electric mobility.
Fast forward to 2024, Tesla’s Model Y continued its strong global performance. According to automotive intelligence firm Focus2Move, the Model Y retained the title of the world’s best-selling car for the calendar year 2024, recording sales of roughly 1.09 million units.
These figures placed the Model Y just ahead of the Toyota Corolla, which sold around 1.08 million units, underlining how competitive the global passenger-vehicle market had become.
Key highlights of the new Model Y Performance include:
- Aggressive new exterior design with updated front and rear fascias, carbon fiber spoiler (reduces drag by 10% and adds high-speed stability), and stunning 21″ Arachnid 2.0 wheels with staggered tires for superior grip and stance.
- Blistering performance: 3.3-second 0-60 mph acceleration, “Insane” mode for maximum fun, improved brakes, and sharp, agile handling with Sport/Standard ride modes.
- Impressive 308-mile EPA range thanks to higher-density battery cells (better than the old Performance’s 279 miles).
- Upgraded interior: Larger 16″ high-resolution center screen with thinner bezels, carbon fiber décor, and the most comfortable Tesla seats yet (heated/ventilated with powered thigh extenders and perfect bolstering).
Outlook
Looking ahead, the Tesla Model Y appears well-positioned to remain a central pillar of Tesla’s global strategy, even as competition in the EV market intensifies. The company’s focus on continuous iteration rather than full generational redesigns has proven effective, allowing Tesla to steadily improve efficiency, performance, and comfort while keeping manufacturing costs under control.
In 2026, analysts expect Tesla to further benefit from advancements in battery technology, software optimization, and manufacturing scale, particularly from its Gigafactories in China, Berlin, and Texas.