Tesla Model Y Is UK’s 4th Best-Selling Car in 2023

Tesla Model Y entered the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK in July. Strong sales through the first seven months of the year have placed the electric vehicle at number four on the list of best-selling vehicles so far in 2023.

Tesla Model Y entered the top 10 in July

Tesla’s electric SUV continues to win the love of consumers. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Model Y was the 10th best-selling car of any type in the UK in July. Last month, 2,284 units were registered. Model Y slightly outperformed Vauxhall Corsa (2.543), Ford Kuga (2.530), Audi A3 (2.467), and Toyota Aygo X (2.353). At the same time, the gap with Ford Puma (4,124) was significant. However, the weaker result did not shake Model Y’s position in the overall rankings for the first seven months of 2023.

Tesla Model Y is the fourth best-selling car in the UK in 2023

Strong sales over the past months of the year provided an excellent strengthening of Tesla Model Y’s position in the automotive market as a whole. With 21,835 units sold, the electric SUV was the fourth best-selling vehicle in the first seven months of 2023. Model Y trailed Ford Puma (26,889) in first place, Vauxhall Corsa (23,751) in second, and Nissan Qashqai (23,015) in third.

The first month of each quarter is traditionally weaker than the next two. This is because Tesla cars that are produced during this time are usually sent to more distant markets. Model Y for UK are made in China and it takes about 3-4 weeks for ships to deliver them. Thus, we should expect more significant sales growth in August and September.

UK BEV sales continue to rise

In July, the new car market grew by 28.3%, with 143,921 new vehicles registered. It was the best July result since 2020, when pent-up demand for new cars broke out after three months of lockdown during the pandemic. However, despite continuous growth over the past 12 months, the overall market has remained below pre-pandemic levels since the beginning of the year.

Electric vehicles (including BEV and PHEV) accounted for more than a third of the market at 35.4%. The overall market share of hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) declined to 11.3% in July. The largest growth was for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which recorded an increase of 87.9%. This represents 16% of all new sales for the month and is broadly in line with the market share seen this year.

The SMMT calculated that the demand for BEVs was such that a new one was registered every 60 seconds. Furthermore, according to the latest market outlook, this will accelerate to one every 50 seconds by the end of the year, and up to one every 40 seconds by the end of 2024.

H/t: Roland Pircher/X