These Were The World’s Top-Selling Electric Cars In 2022

After months of research and data collection from many markets around the world, I have finally obtained the complete ranking of pure electric car sales for all of 2022. Some of the results are as expected, while there are interesting surprises that can foreshadow further changes in the coming years.

Tesla Superstar With Model Y And Model 3

As expected, the Tesla Model Y dominated the global rankings, even ahead of the Model 3, the best-selling electric car in the world in 2021. The small SUV has found more than 747,000 new customers, a 91 percent increase over the previous year. Nearly half of Model Ys (44 percent) were sold in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), while US-Canada volume accounted for 34 percent of the total.

Registrations in Europe reached 19 percent with a volume up by 416 percent. Sales in Southeast Asia-Pacific follow with 13,400 units, and Japan-Korea with 9,600 units.

Tesla has mirrored in the EV segment what Toyota did for overall global sales. The Japanese brand placed two of its models in the top positions of the global ranking, and there are two Tesla models on the podium for global EV rankings.

The Tesla Model 3 occupied the second position with more than 482,000 units, of which 47 percent were sold in the US-Canada, 28 percent in China (again, including Hong Kong and Taiwan), and 19 percent in Europe. Unlike the Model Y, this sedan dropped 3 percent, negatively impacted by the popularity of its SUV twin. These two models accounted for 95 percent of Tesla’s global volumes for 2022.

Chinese Models Accelerate

The third position was occupied by the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. This microcar has become the benchmark of electric cars in China, the largest EV market in the world. The units sold were 443,400, therefore not far from the Model 3. Part of the popularity of this car is linked to its price, but also to the fact that it has become an ideal mobility solution for many consumers in China.

The trend of Chinese electric microcars has just begun and is expected to arrive in other markets in the coming years. Affordable, attractive, and competitive cars may be the only choice for many people looking for an affordable new car in the coming years. China, unlike Europe, is ready with its products.

Hongguang isn’t the only one to shine in the rankings. The BYD Dolphin, and interesting small car for the B segment, sold just over 200,000 units. Dolphin, more than Wuling, has greater potential in foreign markets. This may also apply to the BYD Yuan Plus, also known as BYD Atto 3, an attractive compact SUV that is rapidly climbing the ranks in some countries.

What About European Electric Cars?

The Volkswagen ID.4 was last year’s most popular European electric car. Its volume increased by 53 percent to 175,600 units, distributed 47 percent in China-Hong Kong-Taiwan, 39 percent in Europe, and 13 percent in the US-Canada.

Further down the chart, the Volkswagen ID.3 sold 77,900 units, up just 4 percent, with 68 percent in Europe. The Fiat 500 was the third best-selling EV, followed by the BMW iX3, Polestar 2, Skoda Enyaq, Dacia Spring, Peugeot 208, Mini Hatch, and the Volvo XC40 BEV.

In any case, the European models are far from being global models like the Tesla Model 3 and Y and the upcoming Chinese models. This is a wake-up call for the European automotive industry as a whole.

The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.