Electric cars charge in a parking garage at the University of California, Irvine, in 2015.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
The Tesla Model Y and Model 3 were the two most popular electric-vehicle models in 2023.
The most popular EVs last year were also some of the most inexpensive.
EV sales surpassed 1 million units for the first time in 2023.
For the first time ever, electric-vehicle sales in the US surpassed 1 million units in 2023.
Last year marked a turning point for the EV market, with a new crop of shoppers considering these vehicles due to lower prices and better government incentives. That pushed EV sales up to nearly 1.2 million last year, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Despite losing some ground in 2023, Tesla continues to dominate the EV market. Elon Musk's electric-car company ran away with the top two spots, with Model Y sales of 394,497 and Model 3 sales of 220,910, according to KBB. In a distant third place is GM's Chevrolet Bolt, which racked up 60,045 sales of the EV and EUV.
The most popular EVs of 2023 are also some of the most inexpensive, reflecting a change that dealers and industry executives have been noting in electric-car shoppers.
The average price for a new EV in December 2023 was still high, at $50,789, according to KBB. But that's down from the average transaction price in December 2022 by about $14,000.
Here are the top 10 electric vehicles by sales in the US in 2023:
1. Tesla Model YThe Tesla Model Y.
Tim Levin/Insider
Units sold: 394,497
Tesla's most popular model accounted for roughly a third of all EV sales in the US last year.
Tesla's first mass-market vehicle and the car sold to Hertz for rentals continued to dominate the EV market in 2023.
The Model 3 has become one of the most affordable EVs on the road after a series of price cuts last year. You can get a great deal on a new or used Model 3.
3. Chevrolet Bolt The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV.
Chevrolet
Units sold: 62,044
The longest-selling electric car in GM's lineup notched a distant third place in US EV sales last year, with sales of 60,045 EV and EUV body styles.
GM walked back plans to phase out the Bolt for 2024, with Mary Barra, the CEO of GM, saying the nameplate will carry over onto the new Ultium battery platform.
4. Ford Mustang Mach-EThe Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Paul Marotta/Getty Images
Units sold: 40,771
The Mustang Mach-E cracked the top five for EV sales in 2023 despite the car's issues on dealer lots starting in the summer. By July of last year, dealers said they were turning away Mach-E allocations due to a drop in demand.
Volkswagen dealers had a lot more ID.4s in their inventory last year, making this EV one of the easier models to find. The starting price of an ID.4 is around $39,000, well below the segment average of $50,789.
Rivian's R1S helped the EV startup climb the top-seller list in 2023 with sales of around 24,780. The R1T, Rivian's first model, barely cracked the top 10 in 2022, with about 20,300 units sold.
In a departure from BMW's quirkier i3, launched in 2013 and discontinued in 2022, the i4 looks more like its internal-combustion-engine siblings at first glance. BI called it a more luxurious alternative to the Tesla Model 3.
