The Bestselling Electric Cars of 2022
It isn't only a bunch of Teslas.
- 5G Technician, ETA International
We're most of the way through 2022, and the electric car sales chart tells us an important story: It isn't just about Tesla anymore, and it will be increasingly less so in the future as challengers start to accrue some real numbers, even if Teslerati still sneer at them. Here are the latest standings for the most popular EVs as of October 2022, according to data from Kelley Blue Book (part of Cox Automotive).
5. Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV -- 22,012 US sales
The Bolt comes in two body styles that are otherwise so similar that they slot as one model. You have to wonder where the Bolt would rank if it weren't for its highly publicized battery problems that once prompted GM to suggest parking it outdoors so you don't burn your house down. The fix has been deployed, moveover GM is closing the page on the Bolt's battery tech as the company moves to its new Ultium technology. That said, owning a Bolt doesn't scare me.
4. Tesla Model S -- 23,464 US sales
That dagger superscript (†) next to the Model S Plaid's top speed still applies.
The Model S used to top lists like these, but that was when EVs were rare. Today this expensive sedan -- two attributes that most US car buyers have no interest in -- slots lower but is still an important part of Tesla's domination of the luxury and electric car segments. The Model S is on a trajectory to being bumped out of lists like this as other EVs pass it in the foreseeable future.
3. Ford Mustang Mach-E -- 28,089 US sales
Carbonized Gray Metallic is one of two new colors for the 2023 model year.
Though selling far below the top two EVs coming up, the Mach-E was the first car to signal the end of the market being all Teslas with a few rounding errors, especially if the Model S rotates out soon. Mach-E sales increased by 49% over the same period in 2021, and Ford boss Jim Farley says he expects US EV sales to grow twice as fast as most experts predict. That's part of why Ford's building a massive plant in rural Tennessee that will dwarf its famous Rouge plant in Detroit.
2. Tesla Model 3 -- 156,357 US sales
Now we enter the big leagues, a number that is double what the Model 3 sold in the same period in 2021, yet still not enough to make it no. 1. While the Model 3 is synonymous with the success of EVs overall, our number 1 car coming up does something it can't.
Before we get to that, a couple of important side stories:
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 (US sales of 18,492) and the Kia EV6 (US sales of 17,564) cousins each miss the cut for this list, but if they were combined they would bump the Mach E out of third place. The Ioniq 5 and EV6 aren't similar enough to warrant such a grouping, but they share enough technology and parentage to argue that parent Hyundai Motor Company has the pulse of US EV buyers more so than any company except Tesla.
The Volvo sub-brand Polestar 2 deserves mention for showing the highest sales growth rate in the US so far this year, up 500% over its 2021 volume, though on a tiny base of 1,091 cars in 2021. Contrast that to its cousin, the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which is experiencing one of the biggest sales drops of any EV that wasn't canceled this year. That's not so much a comment on the car as on its production pipeline, but an EV needs to sell if it's going to change the world.
I think hybrids and plug-in hybrids are overlooked, and if the RAV4 Hybrid and RAV4 Prime PHEV were on this list, their 138,275 US sales so far would be a strong no. 3, closing in on the Model 3. The RAV4 long ago replaced the Prius as America's favorite hybrid, but have you seen the new Prius?
1. Tesla Model Y -- 191,451 US sales
While the Model 3 is iconic, the Tesla Model Y checks more boxes and sells a lot more cars. It's an EV and a compact utility, a magic combination in a market that's focused on crossovers, SUVs and trucks. If the sibling Model Y and Model 3 were combined as in my Hyundai/Kia musing above, they would have a 60% share of the US EV market. If you get tired of every pundit citing Tesla when they talk about EVs, there's a reason they do.
I'll refresh this list at the close of the year to see how the first three cars fared in this close race. What EV sales winners are coming next? Check out my video on the top EVs to watch for in 2023. Hint: Electric pickup trucks may soon haul this list to the dump.