After claiming the title of the world’s best-selling car for the last three years in a row, the Tesla Model Y is making a strong bid for a four-peat.
According to the latest data from Focus2Move, the Model Y is the world’s best-selling vehicle through the first seven months of 2026, with sales climbing 19.6% compared to the same period last year. That growth pushed the electric SUV ahead of the Toyota Corolla, while the Ford F-Series, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V rounded out the global top five.
The Model Y’s performance is even more impressive when compared to its closest SUV rival. Focus2Move’s SUV data shows Model Y sales up roughly 20% through July, while RAV4 sales have fallen about 25%. The two were close at the end of 2025, but Tesla has since opened a gap of approximately 200,000 vehicles over Toyota’s popular SUV.
The results put the Model Y in position to potentially finish as the world’s best-selling vehicle for a third straight year.
Tesla reaches new milestone in Japan
As we have reported extensively throughout the year, Tesla is having a banner year in Japan. After already surpassing the number of vehicles it sold in all of 2025, the latest accomplishment is that the Model Y finished the first half of 2026 as the country’s most-registered individual model, not only among EV brands, but all foreign automakers.
According to JATO Dynamics data cited by Tesla Japan, the Model Y accounted for approximately 48% of foreign-brand EV registrations. It also led foreign-brand vehicle registrations in 19 of Japan’s 47 prefectures and finished in the top five in 38.
Tesla Model Yは、2026年上半期 すべての外国車ブランドにおける国内車種別新規登録台数でNo.1を獲得しました。
— Tesla Japan (@teslajapan) August 27, 2026
サポートいただいたすべてのテスラオーナー、協力会社の皆様に感謝いたします。 pic.twitter.com/SEDWkt6lqI
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