The best-selling car in 2022 was the Toyota RAV4, with a total of 1,016,000 units sold worldwide.

But if current trends continue, another crossover may take the top spot by the end of the year. On top of that, this new challenger is made in America, Germany, and China and uses absolutely no fossil fuels.

The Tesla Model Y electric vehicle (EV) was the best-selling car from January to March 2023, according to a May 2023 Motor1 report that used data from global automotive market research firm JATO Dynamics.

It is the first EV to top the global sales charts, with 267,200 units sold in the first quarter of 2023. This is up 69 percent from the same period last year, despite costing twice as much as the Toyota Corolla, which was in second place at 256,400 units.

The Model Y’s sales jump was buoyed by Tesla’s recent price reductions and strong sales in China, which is one of the global leaders in EV development. The EV also performed well in the U.S. and Europe.

Best-selling EV in 2022

Deliveries of the Tesla Model Y began on January 2020. 

It is a compact crossover EV that is powered by a 75-kWh battery pack and has a maximum range of up to 525 km in the Long Range AWD model. 

The Model Y was also the best-selling EV in the world in 2022, with 771,300 registrations that year.

EV sales have been dramatically on the rise over the last few years, jumping 55 percent from 2021 to 2022 and breaching the 10-million-unit mark for the first time.

In the Philippines, there are still no official figures on EV sales. However, legislation such as the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act and the removal of duties on imported EVs and parts provide fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for EV buyers. This resulted in a huge price drop in models like the Nissan LEAF and Weltmeister W5.

Tesla currently does not sell the Model Y officially in the Philippines. Although, grey market units have been plying our roads for quite a while now. 

It is available in other ASEAN markets with Thailand being one of the more recent markets to officially introduce the brand and Malaysia soon to follow. 

Do you think the Tesla Model Y deserves to be the world’s best-selling car in 2023?

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