Tesla Model Y overtakes Toyota Corolla as world's best-selling car (2024)

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Months after the Toyota HiLux lost the top sales spot in Australia to the Ford Ranger, the Toyota Corolla has lost its global sales crown – and for the first time, an electric car has taken the top spot.

After almost two decades, the Toyota Corolla has been dethroned as the world's best-selling car.

The Tesla Model Y has taken the top spot on the sales chart, outselling the Corolla in 2023 as the world's most popular passenger car – the first time in history for an electric car.

According to data released by Jato Dynamics, Tesla sold a total of 1.22 million Model Y vehicles across the globe in 2023 – an increase of 64 per cent year-on-year.

While the Corolla is believed to have held the title consecutively since 2005, this year saw sales of the small Toyota fall by 19 per cent, to end up in fourth position.

Further solidifying the worldwide trend of buyers preferring SUVs, the Toyota RAV4 took second place, with 1.08 million sales, while the Honda CR-V took third overall with 846,000 vehicles sold.

Rounding out the top 10 were the Toyota Corolla Cross, the Toyota Camry, the Ford F-150, the Toyota HiLux, the Nissan Sentra, and the Tesla Model 3 in 10th.

In Australia, a total of 28,769 buyers chose the Tesla Model Y last year –enough for the car to take out sixth position in the local top 10 – but data showed it was actually the number one choice for private buyers, once vehicle sales for businesses, fleets, rental cars, and governments were taken out of the equation.

The Toyota Corolla first snatched the global sales title from the original Volkswagen Beetle in 1997, but it was 2005 when the Corolla would eventually reclaim and hold onto the top sales spot – a crown it then held for 18 years in a row.

In Australia, the Toyota HiLux was also dethroned as the country's best-selling vehicle after seven years in a row, with the Ford Ranger taking the top spot for the first time.

However, it wasn't all bad news for Toyota, with the Japanese car giant being the world's number one-selling car brand globally for 2023 –as well as taking out five of the top 10 for individual model sales.