Exciting head-to-head race

Which model was ahead worldwide in 2024?

Despite the difficult environment, the automotive industry performed strongly in 2024, selling over 77 million passenger cars worldwide. The Tesla Model Y and the Toyota Corolla and RAV4 were in a thrilling head-to-head race for the title of best-selling car until the very end.

Last year was a tough one: political uncertainty, turmoil at many major car brands, and stuttering development in electric mobility. Despite this, global sales did not collapse, contrary to the trend in Switzerland. Quite the opposite; the figures even rose slightly. The more than 77 million passenger cars sold in 2024 represent an increase of around three percent over the previous year. The battle for the best-selling model was closer than ever before. In the end, electric car manufacturer Tesla had the good fortune – the Model Y was the best-selling car worldwide in 2024, just ahead of the Toyota Corolla and RAV4.

Best-selling models worldwide
Brand Model Units
Tesla Model Y 1.09 million
Toyota Corolla 1.08 million
Toyota RAV4 1.02 million
Ford F-150 900,000
Honda CR-V 740,000
Chevrolet Silverado 640,000
Hyundai Tucson 610,000
Toyota Camry 580,000
BYD Song/Seal U 570,000
VW Tiguan 540,000

A closer analysis reveals that Toyota models lost out to the Tesla Model Y, especially in the European sales markets. In Switzerland, for example, the Model Y was also the best-selling model, far ahead of the Toyota Corolla and RAV4. Funnily enough, the competing models sold better in the other manufacturer's home continent than in their own – the Model Y performed better in Asia than the Corolla and RAV4, while the Toyota Corolla outsold the Model Y in America.

The largest automaker and thus number 1 in the world remains the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. In the ranking of the world's best-selling vehicle manufacturer, the Japanese were once again ahead in 2024 – as they have always been since 2018. Toyota sold a total of 10.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2024. The Corolla and RAV4 models, as well as the Camry, played a significant role in this success. While most manufacturers worldwide experienced slight declines, the Chinese giant BYD saw significant growth – a significant increase of over 40 percent. However, Europe is not responsible for this impressive growth, where BYD is not yet doing as well as it would like, but rather China in particular. BYD sells 95 percent of all vehicles in its home country. The electric car manufacturer has been entering the Swiss market since April and has big plans.

The world's five largest automakers
Brand Unit sales Increase/decrease compared to previous year
Toyota 10.8 million -3.7%
Volkswagen 9.03 million -2.3%
BYD 4.30 million +41.2%
Hyundai 4.14 million -1.8%
Honda 3.80 million -5%

Europe's ten darlings
The wind is blowing differently in the European market than in Asia or America, for example. The best-selling car on our continent in 2024 comes from neither Tesla nor Toyota – nor from the Volkswagen Group. The Dacia Sandero outperformed all its competitors in Europe last year. More than 268,000 units were sold in 2024. The reason for this is not only its modernized appearance but also its continued favorable price-performance ratio. The Tesla Model Y follows slightly further back, in fourth place, with just under 210,000 units sold. And the globally successful Toyota Corolla and RAV4 don't even make it into the top ten in Europe.

Brand Model Units
Dacia Sandero 268,000
Renault Clio 216,000
VW Golf 215,000
Tesla Model Y 209,000
VW T-Roc 202,000
Peugeot 208 199,000
Toyota Yaris Cross 194,000
Skoda Octavia 180,000
Dacia Duster 175,000
Toyota Yaris 174,000

Optimistic about the future
It's still too early to make predictions about the best-sellers for 2025. However, Tesla is unlikely to be able to defend its title given the poor sales figures from the first quarter. In Europe alone, new registrations fell by almost half compared to the same quarter last year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with his political escapades in America, is probably not entirely innocent of this fiasco. But despite the trade war and tariffs, the auto industry is looking to the future with some confidence, at least as far as global figures go. Experts are predicting slight growth this year, especially in leading markets such as Asia, Europe, and North and South America. And as many as 81 million new registrations are forecast for 2026.

Juan Thomas
Editor, Auto & Mobility