Once again, Tesla has proved its dominance in the electric vehicle market in the United States, outselling all other EV manufacturers in 2023 — and it wasn't even close.
Just two of Tesla's five available consumer models (counting Cybertrucks, which can only be preordered) accounted for more than 51% of EV sales in the U.S. in 2023, according to Teslarati and based on Kelley Blue Book figures. The Model Y and Model 3, the company's most affordable cars, accounted for a combined 615,407 of the 1,189,051 EVs sold in the country last year.
While that may not come as a big surprise since Tesla has historically towered over the competition in EV sales, other companies are pushing their way into the EV market. Ford EV sales in 2023 rose 18% over 2022 sales, as CNBC reported.
Chevrolet (GM) and Ford were Tesla's closest rivals in 2023 EV sales in the U.S., though still well behind, according to CleanTechnica. Chevy's strength relied on its sales of the affordable Bolt. Ford's competitiveness was largely thanks to about 65,000 sales of the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, according to Kelley Blue Book. But the fact that Ford's top two models accounted for a little over 10% of the sales of Tesla's top two models shows where the market stands.
It probably doesn't hurt that Tesla has supercharging stations all over the country.
The popularity of Tesla and the impact it's having can't be overstated. Other car manufacturers have had to try to keep up as EVs are growing more popular in the U.S. every year. EV sales in 2023 (per Kelley Blue Book) were roughly double what they were in 2021 (per the Department of Energy), which were in turn roughly double what they were in 2020.
The sales numbers from last year led Teslarati's Joey Klender to ask, "Where would the U.S. be without Tesla?"
That's a hard question to answer with any certainty, but there's no doubt that as the desire for electric vehicles continues to grow in the U.S., there's not a single competitor that has even come close to Tesla's dominance.
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