Image: Tesla
Tesla has once again claimed the top spot in the global auto market, with the Model Y ranking as the world’s best-selling car overall in 2025. It marks the third year in a row that Tesla’s compact electric SUV has taken the crown, reinforcing just how dominant the Model Y has become across multiple regions and markets.
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, Tesla wrote, “See y’all in 2026 – the best is yet to come.”
The Model Y’s global success has been building steadily throughout the year. In the U.S., the Model Y was previously confirmed to have topped EV sales during the first half of 2025, comfortably outperforming rival electric options. The story was similar overseas, with the Model Y leading Australia’s EV sales charts for much of the year as well, underscoring the vehicle’s broad international appeal.
Tesla’s dominance with the Model Y isn’t new, but it has become more pronounced over time. Back in 2023, the Model Y made history by topping global production charts across all vehicles, not just EVs. That momentum has clearly carried forward. In Norway, the world’s leading market for EV adoption, Tesla sold more Model Y vehicles in 2025 than any single automaker has ever sold across its entire lineup in the country over a full year — a staggering benchmark that highlights how deeply entrenched the vehicle is in EV-friendly regions.
A big part of the Model Y’s success comes down to its positioning. It blends range, performance, practicality, and pricing in a way that appeals to mainstream buyers, while benefiting from Tesla’s global manufacturing footprint and aggressive production scaling. As Tesla heads into 2026 with refreshed models (and new variants like the hot-selling Model Y L), expanding factories, and new vehicle programs on the horizon, the Model Y’s three-peat as the world’s best-selling car sets a high bar — not just for competitors, but for Tesla itself.
