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Tesla Model 3 tops survey for the world’s most searched-for electric car
A recent study from a Compare the Market, a UK-based price comparison company, has determined that the Tesla Model 3 is currently the world’s most searched-for all-electric vehicle in the world. Following behind the Model 3 was longtime EV veteran Nissan Leaf, as well as Tesla’s two other cars, the Model S and the Model X.
The UK-based firm’s study utilized Google search data to determine the most popular search term for each electric vehicle on the market and compare each car’s popularity across the globe. The survey’s figures are exclusive only to searches of battery-electric cars, as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen vehicles like the Toyota Mirai were not included in the survey.
According to Compare the Market’s results, the Tesla Model 3 is the overwhelming winner worldwide, being the most-searched-for EV in 54.7% of search traffic surveyed. That accounts for more than half of the 136 countries covered in the study. It should be noted that the gap between the Model 3 and the study’s second placer, the Nissan Leaf, was notable as well, with the Japanese-made EV leading in 16.1%, or 22 countries across the globe.
The Tesla Model S and Model X were the study’s 3rd and 4th placers, leading the rankings in 13.1% and 9.5%, taking of the search traffic surveyed. Overall, Tesla’s electric car lineup dominates internet searches for all-electric vehicles in 77.3% of the countries surveyed by the UK-based firm.
Apart from the Nissan Leaf, other non-Tesla vehicles that proved popular in Google searches were the BMW i3 (4.4%), and the Renault Zoe (2.2%). Other premium EVs such as the Jaguar I-PACE, the Audi e-tron, and the Mercedes EQC did not rank in the survey.
The study’s results become quite interesting when they are broken down by country. The Model 3 held a clean lead in a number of the world’s key auto markets, such as the United States, China, most of Europe, and even India, a country that is yet to see its first Tesla store. The Nissan Leaf dominated in Russia, while the Tesla Model S received the most search traffic from Mexico and Argentina. The BMW i3 even proved particularly popular in Brazil.
Interestingly, the study shows that the rankings didn’t necessarily align with the national origins of a particular vehicle. In Japan, for example, it was the BMW i3, a German car, that dominated internet searches. Germany, the home of the BMW i3, displayed strong interest for an American all-electric car, the Tesla Model 3.
Considering the hype and the close news coverage that follows Tesla’s electric car lineup, it is rather unsurprising to see the Model 3 dominating in the UK-based firm’s study. What is particularly notable was that even with the Model 3 taking most of the spotlight, Tesla’s Model S and Model X, which have already been in the market for years, ranked highly in the survey nonetheless. This shows that Tesla has become a brand that is perceived as a premier maker of EVs across the globe, even in areas where it is yet to begin selling its vehicles.
Part of Tesla’s secret sauce for its vehicles’ popularity lies in the company’s strong online presence, which it grows through organic engagement in social media. This was highlighted by a study from competitive intelligence analysis firm BrandTotal, which noted that Tesla, despite investing $0 in paid advertising on social media platforms, is the car company with the strongest social media presence. “Strong brands are able to command high engagement even without a robust digital ad spend. In Tesla’s case, we see their engagement numbers are high compared to other auto brands allocating spend in their digital campaigns,” Alon Leibovich, co-founder & CEO of BrandTotal, said.
For years, there have been images and videos across social media platforms that have reminded me of when I was a 15-year-old kid teased by “Xbox 720” videos on YouTube. These videos are of the supposed “Tesla Phone” that Elon Musk was secretly developing in between leading Tesla with its electric cars and SpaceX with its reusable rockets.
Would you buy a Tesla phone ? pic.twitter.com/aaTwvvIJit
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 6, 2023
Although Musk has put those rumors to bed several times, it was never completely out of the realm that he could get involved in cell phones in some capacity. Think outside the box and more macro-level, though. Instead of reinventing the computer, Musk reinvented connectivity by developing Starlink with SpaceX.
It could be something similar, TD Cowen analyst Gregory Williams said in a note last week, where he hinted SpaceX could be gathering some steam to acquire T-Mobile.
Williams said it would be the “clear choice” for SpaceX if it decided to go through with a network acquisition. He also suggested AT&T.
The move would be possible through selling more of its own stock, which would help SpaceX raise the money to purchase T-Mobile, which would cost roughly $300 billion. It could be one of the moves SpaceX makes post-IPO in terms of an acquisition: it already acquired Cursor AI for $60 billion.
Other analysts, like Dan Ives of Wedbush, believe SpaceX and Tesla will eventually merge into one anyway, and that conglomeration could come as soon as this year, some have said.
The implications of SpaceX purchasing T-Mobile are massive. A combined entity would create a truly ubiquitous network: T-Mobile’s terrestrial 5G towers and Starlink’s growing constellation of Direct-to-Cell satellites. This would essentially eliminate dead zones across the U.S. and potentially globally.
SpaceX would instantly become a full-scale facilities-based carrier with satellite differentiation; a huge advantage. This would pressure AT&T and Verizon heavily.
There are also concerns like a potential reduction in long-term competition, and of course, a deal of that size would face intense scrutiny from government agencies.
The strategic fit is compelling due to the existing Starlink–T-Mobile partnership and complementary technologies (space + terrestrial). It could create a dominant integrated communications player. However, the regulatory, financial, and execution hurdles are enormous — this remains highly speculative with no indication SpaceX is actively pursuing it right now.
Tesla revealed a major new Cybercab detail in a guide it released for First Responders, showing new territory in its beliefs and intentions for the ride-hailing-focused vehicle that entered production in April.
The First Responders Guide is released to give fire departments, paramedics, and other emergency personnel the proper guidance on what to do in the event of an accident, entrapment, or other situation that would require immediate attention.
On one of the pages of the First Responders Guide, Tesla revealed a stark detail about the Cybercab, which could help personnel enter the vehicle more easily in case of an emergency.
Tesla Cybercab has one important piece that AI4 cars might need for FSD
It shows Tesla has no intention of releasing any Cybercab units that were initially proposed for ride-hailing services for the general public with any manual controls, meaning a steering wheel or pedals:
“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or acceleration and brake pedals.”
New official Cybercab documentation from Tesla:
“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or… https://t.co/P6ut1mZyzr pic.twitter.com/yq6skl9s2J
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 27, 2026
This is a major development for those who continue to believe Tesla planned to release the Cybercab with any sort of manual controls so that passengers could take over if needed. However, when Tesla started manufacturing production versions of the Cybercab in Giga Texas earlier this year, they were spotted without a steering wheel or pedals.
It essentially confirms the company has no intentions of bringing manual controls to the car’s production versions. Some have argued that the likelihood of Tesla having something
There still are some Cybercab units out there with a steering wheel and pedals, and as Tesla said, these cars are engineering or test vehicles, which have Safety Monitors on board to help the car out of a precarious situation or emergency.
Tesla released the Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ suite to owners of Hardware 3 or AI3 vehicles today, adding several new features to the vehicles that were once believed to be capable of unsupervised self-driving.
Now, Tesla has released this modified suite to older Tesla vehicles, adding plenty of new features and capabilities.
Here are the full release notes for the suite:
- Distilled the intelligence from HW4 V14 into HW3. This allows HW3 to directly learn how to handle scenarios using HW4 V14 as a guide. This process unlocks the improvements that have been made to HW4 including Reinforcement Learning (RL) and offline models for HW3.
- Improved both proactive and reactive responsiveness across a wide variety of categories including navigation handling, merges and forks, pedestrian interactions, traffic lights, and vehicle cut-in scenarios.
- Improved general comfort in nominal scenarios through fewer false slowdowns, smoother steering and more consistent lane centering.
- Introduced parking, unparking, and reversing capabilities.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, or at the Curbside.
- Speed Profiles are now available at all times, to further customize driving style preference.
These improvements, according to Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, help distill the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute configurations of AI3.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ for older cars finally gets released
He added:
“It includes destination options and speed profiles on city roads, but more importantly significantly improved safety. We hope you’ll enjoy it, once the build ships wide.”
FSD v14 Lite is now rolling out to AI3 early-access customers. Based on the feedback, will rollout to more customers over the next few weeks.
This build distills the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute config of AI3. It includes destination…
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 29, 2026
Tesla will continue to roll out the v14 Lite suite more widely in the coming weeks, the company said.
Tesla Phone? Not quite, but close: analyst
Tesla reveals huge Cybercab detail in new guide for First Responders
