Tesla Model 3 continues its great run; now becomes the 16th best-selling car in the world

According to a recent report by Forbes, the Tesla Model 3 is now one of the top 20 most purchased cars globally of all types and the 16th best-selling car in the world in 2020. A crazy feat, yeah, considering it was launched in the States in 2018 and even later in some other regions, but this is the power of an all-electric vehicle at the moment, coupled with Tesla’s tech.

The Model 3 was sold 439,760 times last year, and the sales have nearly doubled in no time, indeed. As of right now, it has sold over 800,000 units making it the best-selling EV of all time, surpassing the Nissan Leaf which celebrated its 500,000th unit sold last year. This is even more impressive when you factor in that the Leaf had a seven-year head start over the Model 3.

Putting everything into perspective, the best-selling car in the world, Toyota Corolla, sold 1,134,262 units globally, showing that the ICE-powered cars are here to stay, at least for now. However, the Corolla is not the best-selling car in any of the world’s largest markets, it is just available in more countries. The second spot also went to Toyota, but for its RAV4 SUV, while the third position was won by Ford’s F-Series of pickups.

In Europe, the volume of EV and PHEV registrations increased by 147% compared to 2019, rising from 575,000 units in 2019 to 1.42 million in 2020. The top seller in Europe was the little Renault Zoe with 99,261 units whereas the Tesla Model 3 came in second with 85,713 units sold.

In Norway, the ‘EV Capital of the World’, eight out of every ten cars sold are EVs. In the UK, BEV sales on a Y-o-Y basis from 2019 to 2020 were up by 185.9%, with PHEV sales up by 91.2%, making the overall plug-in increase of 140%. China, on the other hand, has been ‘the’ EV market for many manufacturers, with 1.3 million units sold in 2020, an increase of 8% over 2019, and predicted to be up by 40% to 1.8 million in 2021. In the States, EV sales dropped from 331,000 units in 2019 to 296,000 in 2020, but some changes in the policy should help further grow the sales.

Nevertheless, enough with chit-chats about the global sales, back to Tesla now. Tesla’s Model X was way too on the premium-end of things as it could never generate the sales, the company was looking for. The Model Y, however, has the potential to outdo the Model X, and even the Model 3 at some point, but of course, it has to be sold for at least a full year for it to be compared with any other EV on the market.

Although one thing’s for certain: the EV game is no longer a ‘taboo’, it is the real deal right now, and sooner or later, ICE-powered cars are going to bid adieu to us. In that respect, Tesla seems to be the best placed.