What is the best selling car CA? Tesla Model Y most sold in CA
(KRON) — Whether you are driving across the Golden Gate Bridge or on the traffic-heavy 405 Freeway, you may notice one car model dominate California roads. You may also notice many of those cars with a temporary California license plate for a newly purchased car.
Last year’s best-selling new vehicle in California was the Tesla Model Y — and it’s not close.
According to data from Experian Automotive published by the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA)*, 132,636 new Tesla Model Ys were purchased and registered in the state. The mid-size SUV blew the competition away as it had roughly 50,000 more sales than the next car model.
The second-best-selling vehicle was the Model 3 — another Tesla electric vehicle. The mid-size sedan recorded 82,786 new DMV registrations, according to the CNCDA report.
Top Selling New Vehicle Models in CA (2023)
- Tesla Model Y: 132,636
- Tesla Model 3: 82,786
- Toyota RAV4: 58,496
- Toyota Camry: 51,330
- Honda Civic: 42,564
Source: Experian Automotive Published by the California New Car Dealers Association
CNCDA President Brian Maas said that California car buyers tend to look at these three factors: fully electric, compact SUV and a brand like Tesla is aspirational for certain consumers.
The Tesla Model Y checks those boxes. The automaker’s supercharger network is an “incredible advantage for Tesla” in dominating the electric vehicle market, Maas said.
Increased EV sales, specifically Tesla, are due to the fact the Elon Musk-led company has a vast network of chargers across the state. In addition, federal and state incentives gave owners in 2023 up to $9,500 back for buying a new EV.
“We’ve made it easier and cheaper than ever for folks to transition to clean cars, and it’s continuing to produce real results,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “This progress represents less pollution in our air from burning fossil fuels. This is critical progress in our fight against climate change while expanding our clean energy economy.”
Despite the sales dominance of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 as the top two car models sold in the state, Toyota was still overall the best-selling automaker last year.
New Car Registrations By Automaker (2023)
- Toyota: 278,345
- Tesla: 230,589
- Honda: 172,834
- Ford: 137,350
- Chevrolet: 118,952
Toyota keeps its crown as the best-selling vehicle in the Golden State for yet another year. The Japanese automaker has been the top seller in California for the eighth year in a row, according to the CNCDA reports dating back to 2016.
“I would expect them to continue to be successful,” Maas said about Toyota. “The advantage Toyota has is they have a wide range of vehicles for all compared to Tesla which only has four… For Tesla to compete, they have to have a wide range of vehicles.”
With 58,496 new car registrations in 2023, the Toyota RAV4 was the third-best-selling vehicle and the best-selling non-Tesla vehicle in California. Toyota’s next two top models are the Camry (51,330) and the Corolla (38,198). Ten Toyota models were on that state’s top-selling list that year.
2023 marks the second year in a row Tesla was the second-leading automaker among new car sales in California. Honda was second to Toyota for new car sales in 2021.
Despite Tesla’s growth in the past few years, Maas says he thinks Tesla has plateaued in its market share of sales in California. However, he did add Tesla being the second-best-selling automaker is “significant.”
Newsom Continues Efforts To Make CA Center for EVs
For years, since Newsom became governor in 2018, California has expanded its efforts to make the state greener with zero-emission vehicles. Newsom announced last weekend a milestone stat about those efforts.
“For every five gas stations in California, there’s now one electric vehicle fast charging station,” Newsom said in a press release on April 27.
As of April, there are more than 105,000 public EV chargers, including 10,000 “fast chargers,” in California, according to Newsom. In 2023, California’s electric vehicle market is at 21.4%, which is roughly three times the national rate of 7.5%.
View the entire Experian Automotive Published by the California New Car Dealers Association report HERE.
*The data only tracks new cars purchased in 2023 and does not include newly registered used cars.
