California achieved a new record last year with 21.4% of new cars being all-electric, and once again Tesla dominated the market with its Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 being the best-selling cars in the state. Although Tesla made huge strides, Toyota narrowly maintained its leadership as the top-selling brand in the state.
The data was released by the California New Car Dealer’s Association (CNCDA) in their quarterly Auto Outlook, reflecting on trends in auto sales in the state that leads the US in EV sales.
Compared to a national market share of 7.5%, EVs commanded 21.4% of sales in California. Similarly, California accounted for 33.8% of US BEV sales. This signals a change, with the rest of the country catching up in EV sales. This shift is a welcome trend, considering the health benefits of EVs are no longer exclusive to California.
Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 outsold the competition by a wide margin, with the Model 3 holding a 15.3% share in passenger cars (a 61% lead over the Toyota Camry) and the Model Y holding a 10.8% share in light trucks, more than double its highest challenger, the RAV4. Toyota maintained the crown for most sales in California with a 15.7% market share.
There is an increasing number of BEVs being sold by franchised dealers, as other manufacturers have started selling a variety of vehicles. Dealership sales are catching up, with 35.9% of vehicles having an electric motor in them. This includes hybrids, which accounted for 13.3% of vehicle sales in California.
Although Tesla’s share of California’s BEV market dropped from 71% to 60.5%, it remained dominating the market with a share of around 55% for the year. However, Rivian saw the highest sales growth with a 142.7% increase year over year.
Overall, EVs made up 21.4% of the market in California, which contrasts with the media narrative that falsely claimed EV sales were down. It’s evident that most of the recovery in the auto industry, at least in California, was led by rising electric vehicle sales.
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