Tesla’s share of all light vehicles sold in California in 2023 surged to 13.0%, behind only Toyota, whose share fell to 15.7% (from 17.3% in 2022), according to the California New Car Dealer Association, based on registrations data by Experian. Honda was #3 with a share of 9.7%. Toyota and Honda had ruled California before the arrival of Tesla.
Tesla’s sales in California jumped by 24.6% in 2023. Toyota’s sales edged up merely 2.0%. This is now the battle for #1 in California. It’s between these two automakers. No one else is even close. Back in 2019, Toyota’s share had been 17.2%, while Tesla’s share was just 3.8%. Toyota has essentially no EVs to sell; Tesla only has EVs. This represents a massive shift in the market, instigated by a newcomer and only automaker that manufactures vehicles in California.
Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 were by far the #1 and #2 bestsellers in California in 2023 by registrations, far ahead of the next models in line: Model Y sales spiked by 52% to 132,636; Model 3 sales rose by 4.9% to 82,786.