The best-selling cars in the world

With six out of the top 30 places occupied by EVs, it shows the shift towards battery-powered cars is happening. However, ICE cars still dominate and Toyota remains a force to be reckoned with thanks to holding to three of the top five places overall.

There is also still plenty of desire for large pickups, mostly in the US market, as more than 1.4 million across the three big sellers found buyers in 2023. We’ve used data from Car Industry Analysis.

Just holding on to a top 30 spot, the Nissan Qashqai’s sales were down 11% in 2023 compared to 2022’s 353,800. This has seen the Qashqai drop from a solid 22nd place to 30th.

In another blow to the Qashqai’s previously strong position, it was no longer the best-selling car in the UK market as it had been in 2022. It ceded this to the Ford Puma, with the Nissan slipping to second overall.

The Ford Escape, or Kuga as it’s known in some markets, is a faller in 2023’s sales chart, slipping from 23rd place in 2022 despite a sales drop of a relatively slim 4%. Compared to some rivals, the Escape/Kuga only lost 12,500 sales year on year between 2022 and 2023, but others have increased their sales to push the Ford into 29th position.

Ford will be keeping a wary eye on this model’s sale performance as it’s the company’s third best-seller globally, but strong sales of the latest Ranger have helped offset any losses from reduced Escape/Kuga numbers.

The Kia Seltos may not be available in Europe, but this compact SUV that sits in between the Stonic and Sportage in size notched up the firm’s best sales for a single model in 2023. Strong sales in South Korea, as well as China, Russia, and India helped the Seltos achieve its number one status within Kia’s ranks.

The Seltos also improved its sales in 2023 by 7% over the previous year to elevate this compact SUV into the top 30 from its 36th place in 2022.

A solid performance for the Ford Ranger in 2023 sees it not only gently rise to 27th place overall from 2022’s 30th spot, it has also put on a healthy 9% in sales. That percentage increase equates to 28,100 more Rangers sold in 2023 than in 2022, which makes this pickup the Blue Oval’s second best-selling car overall in 2023.

More of an eye-opener given the scale of Ford’s range and sales is the Ranger is one of only three cars from Ford in the top 30.

From a very safe place in 15th overall in 2022 to 26th spot in 2023 is something of a concern for the Toyota Highlander.

There will be some comfort for Toyota in the Highlander being an older model that was launched in 2019, which means sales will be expected to tail off to some degree. However, Toyota also introduced the Grand Highlander in 2023 to the US market, so a sales fall of 18% does represent a significant drop for the model. To put it in bald numbers, the Highlander has lost 72,400 sales year on year between 2022 and 2023.

There has been a small but noticeable shift away from compact SUVs in the sales numbers for 2023 and the Honda HR-V is one of the hardest hit. The HR-V has shed a sizeable 29% of sales between 2022 and 2023, in a year when another perennial favourite in the form of the Volkswagen Tiguan dropped right out of the top 30.

Honda might find some solace in the HR-V still being in the top 30, but sliding from a very safe 12th spot in 2022 to 2023’s 25th place puts this SUV into the drop zone as newer models pick up sales.

The enduring popularity of the Suzuki Swift in a number of large markets, notably India, means this supermini is a constant of the Top 30 global best-selling cars chart. In 2022, the Swift was in 25th spot, while 2023 sees it climb one place further up with a 6% increase in sales year on year. That works out to a rise in production of the Swift by 20,800 units in 2023 to give it a useful boost.

Known as the Maruti Suzuki Swift in India, this small car topped 2023 sales in India ahead of the Suzuki Wagon R, and this is the second time the Swift has been India’s best seller – the last time was in 2020.

There’s no percentage figure to show the BYD Atto 3’s rise or fall as the Chinese-made EV only went on sale in late 2022 in most markets. As a result, there is no accurate data to compare between 2022 and 2023.

What is clear is the BYD Atto 3 has been a strong success for the company with sales of 355,200 enough to see it take 23rd place for the 2023 rankings. Along with BYD’s two other models in the top 30 chart, it explains why this firm is now vying with Tesla as the number one producer of battery electric vehicles globally.

Mazda’s only car inside the top 30 is the stylish CX-5 that, like a number of SUVs that have been on sale for more than couple of years, saw a slip in sales compared to the previous year’s figures. On the positive side for Mazda, the CX-5 only experienced a modest dip in its sales of 2% in 2023 compared to 2022. That works out to the CX-5 finding 7300 fewer customers in 2022, which has resulted in a gentle stumble from 20th place that year to 2023’s 22nd position.

Mazda can also be reassured the CX-5 is a popular car in many markets rather than relying on huge sales in only one or two markets. This can be seen from the CX-5 performing well in countries as diverse as Australia, Chile, and Vietnam.

The Jetta name might be a blast from the past for most European drivers, but the name badge lives on the US and Chinese markets. It’s also known as the Sagitar in some markets. Revisions to the Jetta in 2022 that added more equipment and a new 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine in place of the ageing 1.4 TSI gave the Jetta’s sales a shot in the arm in the US. This explains why the VW compact saloon has risen from 2022’s 37th place to a much more assured 21st position in 2023.

That rise is underpinned by the Jetta’s sales increasing by 78,200 to 361,300 in 2023.

Along with the Suzuki Swift, the Volkswagen Polo is one of only two superminis to make it into the top 30 of global best-sellers in 2023. While it’s impressive the Polo can still hold its own in a market dominated by SUVs and EVs, it’s even more worthy of a raised eyebrow that VW’s supermini has gone from 60th spot in 2022 to 20th in 2023.

Much of the resurgence of the Polo is - to markets recovering finally after years of depression due to the pandemic. Large gains in markets such as Brazil, Italy, and Mexico have all given the Polo a helping hand to see it rise up the rankings.

The BYD Song Plus was the best-selling car in China in 2022, but the fickle nature of this sales area means it slipped back 2023 to third best-seller in its home country. The drop in China was accounted for by a 15.1% slide in sales in 2023 compared to 2022, though BYD won’t be too worried as its Qin, Yuan Plus, and Dolphin models were all riding high in 2023 sales chart in China.

Unlike some of BYD’s other models, the Song Plus is available with EV, plug-in hybrid, and petrol-only power to give it as wide an appeal as possible.

2023 saw a switch between the Dodge RAM 1500 and its close rival, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Both trail the Ford F-150 by some margin, but in 2022 it was the Dodge that pushed ahead of the Chevrolet. However, for 2023, the positions were reversed. This change in fortunes for the Dodge RAM are due entirely to its own slide in sales and the Silverado’s uptick in units sold. A 5% drop for the RAM saw its numbers drop from 2022’s 394,200 to 373,800 in 2023.

More of a concern for Dodge will be the general trend in declining sales of its RAM as it lost 8% of sales in 2022 compared to 2021, which means 2023’s number are part of a broader slide.

From 19th place in 2022 to 17th in 2023 is a modest but welcome win for Hyundai with its Elantra. The seventh-generation Elantra was helped in 2023 by its introduction to some markets late in 2022, giving a boost to sales for a car that first went on sale in early 2020. Although not sold in most European countries, the Elantra is a solid seller in Poland and Romania, and also sells very well in China.

A sales slip in 2022 has now been reversed thanks to this 7.5% rise in sales in 2023, with 398,900 cars built in 2023 compared to 371,100 in 2022.

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has jumped ahead of its close rival, the Dodge RAM 1500, in 2023’s figure thanks to a 9.5% increase in sales compared to 2022. That equates to not insignificant 36,200 more Silverados being made in 2023 than the previous year, and it also stems the losses from 2021.

The Silverado was helped in 2023 by a huge increase in sales in Mexico, where it jumped to 10th place overall in sales.

One of the biggest risers in 2023, the Hyundai Tuscon LWB improved from 24th place in 2022 to a strong mid-table 15th in 2023. The reason for this is the Hyundai’s ongoing popularity in the large Chinese and Asian markets. It’s important to note the ‘LWB’ part of this Tuscon’s name as this model is 75mm longer than the standard Tuscon SUV that is sold in Europe. The extra rear leg room is considered very important in China, which is the key market for this model.

In 2023, the Tuscon LWB sold 422,700 cars globally, which is an increase in sales of 88,000 compared to 2022. A facelift in late 2023 should also help bolster sales into 2024 for the Tuscon LWB.

The Honda Accord saw a fall in sales in 2023 by 6% to go from 2022’s 479,300 units to 450,800 in ’23. That’s a drop of 28,500 units year on year. Given Honda has four models inside the top 30 best-sellers globally, it won’t be hitting the panic button just yet, especially as traditional saloons like the Accord have taken a hit from SUVs that have proven to be a big draw for buyers all over the world.

More frustrating for Honda will be to see other mid-size saloons from rivals, in the shape of the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Camry, remain resolutely ahead of it in the sales chart even though both of these models also suffered drops in sales in 2023.

Yes, you read that right, the Nissan X-Trail enjoyed a gigantic 631% increase in sales in 2023 compared to 2022. While that might lead some to think the X-Trail should be heading this list with a sales improvement of that magnitude, it must be remembered that 2022 was an annus horribilis for X-Trail.

The previous generation model’s sales had plummeted off a cliff ahead of the new model’s introduction, which came in 2021.

However, the new generation of X-Trail did not appear in many key markets, such as Japan, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East until later in 2022 or even the beginning of 2023. As a result, sales remained in the doldrums in 2022 but enjoyed a huge boost as buyers waited for the new model to arrive. As a result, the X-Trail has regained its position in the league, where it was in 12th spot in 2021, rather than languishing in 48th place in 2022.

The BYD Qin is enjoying considerable success in China, where it has topped the monthly sales chart on several occasions. This puts the Qin in a very strong position for annual sales and this is reflected in it jumping from 26th place in 2022 with 331,200 sales to 12th spot in 2023 with 473,300 sales.

That improvement in sales equates to a 43% rise in sales year on year, which is impressive by any standards. It’s helped by the Qin being offered as a plug-in hybrid and full EV, and BYD has plans to export the Qin to more markets to help it maintain its sales tally going forward.

An upturn in the small car market in the US has helped the Honda Civic improve it sales in 2023 by 23% compared to the previous year. The result of that sizeable uptick is the Civic sold 478,300 cars globally in 2023, whereas the model found 389,500 buyers in 2022. That improvement in sales has also been sufficient to leapfrog the Civic from 17th position in the top 30 best-selling list in 2022 to a very creditable 11th spot in 2023.

This figure also includes sales for the Integra, which is what Honda calls the Civic in some markets.

The Tesla Model 3 is the only car in the top 30 best-sellers globally to maintain its ranking from 2022 into 2023. In the case of the Model 3 EV, it holds on to its 10th place from one year to the next. To achieve this, the Tesla had to improve its sales to stay in place as the global automotive market expanded overall in 2023 after a period of stagnation following the pandemic. This means the Model sold 508,500 units in 2023 compared to 482,200 in 2022, which is an increase in sales of 5.5% year on year.

The Model 3 has been helped in this sales jump by featuring strongly in many countries’ new car sales charts. Even if it’s not the biggest seller in a country, the Model 3 is often in the top three and that has been the case in many European markets.

The Nissan Sentra, or Sylphy in some markets, may not be a familiar name to European ears, but it’s a consistently large seller in North America, China, and many Asian markets. In 2023, sales of the Sentra were - by 6% compared to 2022’s figure, which was a drop from 566,500 to 533,700 year on year. As the Sentra and Sylphy have been on sale since 2019 in its current eighth-generation form, a decline in sales is not unexpected by this stage in its life cycle.

Even with that drop in sales, the Sentra/Sylphy remains in the top 10 global best-sellers, albeit - from 2022’s seventh place to ninth in 2023.

The Toyota Hilux is a perennial in the Top 10 global best-sellers and it’s easy to see why. It’s the most popular car in many countries, regardless of whether you work it out by commercial or passenger vehicles, or both. Bluntly, if you need to deal with poor roads and tough terrain, the Hilux does the business.

Even so, Toyota’s indomitable pickup did see a 4% drop in sales in 2023 compared to 2022. That works out to 604,800 Hilux models sold in 2023 whereas the model found 632,500 buyers in 2022. Given the Hilux is one of five Toyotas in the top 10 worldwide best-sellers, Toyota won’t be fretting too much at this.

Once the world’s best-selling model bar none, the Ford F-150 has been going through a period of transition. However, 2023 did see it rise two places in the sales chart from 2022’s ninth spot, so it sits in seventh overall for ’23. This is the F-150’s best performance in recent years as it was in eighth position in 2021.

More vitally for Ford, the F-150 grew its sales tally in 2023, increasing the number by 19% compared to the previous year. This means Ford found 623,200 buyers for its mainstay pickup in 2023 rather than 525,100 in 2022. That’s an impressive uplift of almost 100,000 vehicles, which any car maker would be happy to see.

The Camry has long been a mainstay of the Top 10 global best-sellers, largely due to its enduring popularity in the US where it enjoys an unrivalled reputation for reliability.

However, even the Camry’s iron-clad image cannot protect it from the tides of the market and it has dropped from fifth spot in 2022 to sixth in 2023. It might only be a one-place drop, but the 3% fall in sales is more significant due to the sheer number of cars involved. The result is the Camry sold 22,800 fewer units in 2023 than in 2022.

The Corolla Cross is a real bright spot for Toyota as it has improved both its standing in the Top 10 global sellers list in 2023 and upped its sales from the previous year. In 2022, the Corolla Cross enjoyed a boost in sales to 530,300, which was 221% up on the pandemic-afflicted sales of 2021. For 2023, the Corolla Cross, and its Frontlander alter ego, are up by a further 35% to 715,500 – that’s 185,200 more sold than in 2022.

By any measure, this is an impressive performance, helped by the Corolla Cross being fully available in all of its intended markets in 2023 unlike in 2022.

The world’s best-selling name badge of all time added another 803,000 sales in 2023 to the Toyota Corolla’s all-time tally of more than 50 million across the car’s 12 generations to date.

Even so, the ever-popular Corolla has seen its sales drop by some 19% in 2023, falling from 2022’s 991,600 units to 803,000 in 2023. That’s enough for the Corolla to slip from second place overall in 2022 to fourth spot in ’23. This also means Toyota now does not dominate the top two overall slots like it did in 2022.

A rise in sales of 15% is a very welcome lift for Honda and its CR-V, which also sees the Japanese SUV go from fourth place in 2022’s list to third position in 2023. That’s a welcome return to a podium place for the CR-V, which was last in the top three in 2021.

The CR-V’s return to form has been helped by improved sales in the US, where the model had seen a drop between 2021 and 2022. It has also enjoyed good support from buyers in a diverse range of countries around the world as it is one of the few truly globally available cars from North America to China, Europe to Asia, and South America to Australia.

The Toyota RAV has maintained sales in 2023 above the 1 million mark – one of only two cars to achieve this – and it has improved sales in this year over the previous year’s. However, that has not proved to be sufficient for the RAV4 to retain the number one slot it enjoyed in 2022. In 2023, the RAV4 sold 1,075,200 units compared to 1,015,700 in 2022, which is a rise of 59,500 year on year and not to be sniffed at even if Toyota has been beaten to the top spot.

The increase in sales will come as a relief to Toyota as the RAV4 had experiences a 10% drop in sales between 2021 and 2022, so 2023’s figures reverse that -ward trend.

The Tesla Model Y’s ascendency to the number spot in global best-selling cars in 2023 is significant for several reasons. This is the first time that a battery electric vehicle has topped the chart, and it also shows that a car does not have to be a new model to draw in large crowds of buyers. The Model Y first went on sale in 2020 and it steadily found favour in many markets. Not always the best-selling car in many countries, the Model Y has played the long game by routinely featuring in the top three across a whole variety of countries, which adds up to global success.

It’s one of only two cars to top a million sales in 2023, and the Model Y is also notable for being the first best-selling car in Europe not to be produced on that continent where small cars have tended to proliferate. The challenge Tesla now faces is retaining this top spot going into 2024 as competition in the EV sector grows ever stronger.

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