More than 1.2 million examples of electric crossover were sold in 2023; dethrones Toyota RAV4

The Tesla Model Y has become the first EV to be crowned the world’s best-selling car, after more than 1.2 million examples were sold worldwide in 2023.

The American crossover dethroned the Toyota RAV4, confining it to second place despite a rise in sales to 1.07 million in 2023. Its Toyota Corolla sibling placed third with 1.01m.

“Today the best-selling vehicle on the planet is an EV,” Tesla said during its fourth-quarter earnings call.

The Model Y led sales in both Europe and China, the world’s two largest electric car markets – partly thanks to Tesla slashing prices by as much as £8000 last January across all of its markets.

This priced the Model Y 18% and 23% lower than the average cost of an EV in Germany and the US respectively, data firm Jato Dynamics has revealed.