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Tesla’s vehicles led U.S. EV sales again last quarter: report

Tesla, Ford, and Chevrolet’s models led the pack in Q1, while more new EVs hit the road than ever.

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer

Recent data has shown that Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 remained the top-selling electric vehicle (EV) models in the U.S. in the first quarter, despite a decline in overall sales in the market.

As detailed in the latest Kelley Blue Book EV sales report, shared by Cox Automotive on Thursday, Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 outsold the next several models combined during the first quarter, while the Cybertruck was the tenth best-selling EV overall.

Tesla sold 64,051 Model Y units, representing a 33.8 percent drop year over year, along with selling 52,520 Model 3 units, marking a 70.3 percent increase year over year, to outpace the next several models combined. The Tesla Cybertruck sold 6,406 units, while the Model S and X sold 1,280 and 3,843 units, respectively.

Tesla also launched a new version of the Model Y in the first quarter, likely explaining at least a part of the decline, though the brand also faces continued pressure from the public, as many have targeted stores and vehicles in protesting Elon Musk and the Trump administration.

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Meanwhile, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Chevy Equinox EV, and the Honda Prologue followed and made up the rest of the top five, with 11,607, 10,329, and 9,561 units sold, respectively. A number of models were also introduced to the market last year, such as the Porsche Macan, the VW ID.Buzz, and Volvo’s EX30 and EX90 models. Honda and Acura also added over 14,000 EVs to U.S. roads, marking an increase from having no products in Q1 2024.

Additionally, many models such as the Chevy Equinox EV, the Honda Prologue, and the VW ID.4 all climbed in the rankings from the full-year 2024 EV sales list, and it will be interesting to see how these and other emerging models hold as the year rolls on.

Cox also points out that Tesla’s overall sales were down 8.6 percent from last year’s first quarter, while General Motors (GM) sold over 30,000 EVs across its brands to lead the sector in sales growth.

See the full list of BEVs sold below, as ranked by volume. You can also check out the full Q1 EV sales data from Cox Automotive here, or read the firm’s press release on the report here.

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READ MORE ON U.S. EV SALES: Tesla average transaction prices (ATP) rise in March 2025: Cox Automotive

EV models sold in the U.S. in Q1 2025, ranked by volume

  1. Tesla Model Y: 64,051
  2. Tesla Model 3: 52,520
  3. Ford Mustang Mach-E: 11,607
  4. Chevrolet Equinox EV: 10,329
  5. Honda Prologue: 9,561
  6. Hyundai Ioniq 5: 8,611
  7. VW ID.4: 7,663
  8. Ford F-150 Lightning: 7,187
  9. BMW i4: 7,125
  10. Tesla Cybertruck: 6,406
  11. Chevrolet Blazer EV: 6,187
  12. Toyota BZ4X: 5,610
  13. Rivian R1S: 5,357
  14. Cadillac Lyriq: 4,300
  15. Acura ZDX: 4,813
  16. Nissan Ariya: 4,148
  17. Tesla Model X: 3,843
  18. Ford E-Transit and Kia EV9 (tied): 3,756
  19. Kia EV6: 3,738
  20. BMW iX: 3,626
  21. GMC Hummer Truck/SUV: 3,479
  22. Porsche Macan: 3,339
  23. Hyundai Ioniq 6: 3,318
  24. Audi Q6 e-tron: 3,246
  25. Subaru Solterra: 3,131
  26. Chevrolet Silverado: 2,383
  27. Jeep Wagoneer EV: 2,595
  28. Nissan Leaf: 2,323
  29. Dodge Charger EV: 1,947
  30. Rivian R1T: 1,727
  31. Cadillac Escalade EV: 1,956
  32. VW ID.Buzz: 1,901
  33. BMW i5: 1,899
  34. Audi Q4 e-tron: 1,874
  35. Mercedes EQB: 1,622
  36. Cadillac Optiq: 1,716
  37. Rivian EDV500/700: 1,469
  38. Lexus RZ: 1,453
  39. Tesla Model S: 1,280
  40. GMC Sierra EV: 1,249
  41. Volvo EX30: 1,185
  42. Kia Niro: 1,162
  43. Porsche Taycan: 1,019
  44. Volvo EX90: 1,000
  45. Hyundai Kona EV: 914
  46. BMW i7: 888
  47. Mercedes EQE: 742
  48. Genesis GV60: 733
  49. Genesis GV70: 712
  50. Mini Countryman: 693
  51. Mercedes EQE: 742
  52. Audi Q8 e-tron: 535
  53. Mercedes G-Class and EQS (tied): 509
  54. Jaguar I-Pace: 381
  55. Volvo C40: 315
  56. Chevrolet Brightdrop 400/600: 274
  57. Audi e-tron: 250
  58. Volvo XC40: 218
  59. Mercedes E-Sprinter: 90
  60. Genesis G80: 51
  61. Chevrolet Bolt: 13
  62. Mini Cooper: 3

*Additional EV Models: 5,930

*The additional EV models category is likely made up of low-volume, luxury, and niche EV makers, such as those from Lucid and Polestar. However, at the time of writing, Cox Automotive has not yet responded to Teslarati’s request for comment on which vehicles were excluded.

Top 10 EV sellers by brand in the U.S. in Q1 2025

  1. Tesla: 128,100
  2. Ford: 22,500
  3. Chevrolet: 19,186
  4. BMW:13,538
  5. Hyundai: 12,843
  6. VW: 9,564
  7. Honda: 9,561
  8. Kia: 8,656
  9. Rivian: 8,553
  10. Cadillac: 7,972

These were the best-selling EV brands in the U.S. in Q1

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla stuns with another FSD approval in Europe, its second in two days

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Tesla has stunned by gaining yet another approval for its Full Self-Driving suite in Europe, its second in two days and its fifth overall.

Belgium will be the latest country to allow Tesla owners to utilize FSD on public roads in Europe, joining a quickly growing list that started with the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Estonia.

On Tuesday, Denmark announced its approval of the FSD suite, which has now been followed by Belgium just one day later.

The country’s Minister of Mobility, Annick De Ridder, announced the approval on her X account, stating that she had just signed the approval of Tesla FSD. It now goes to the country’s homologation department for the last step of the approval process.

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The Belgian approval is one of mighty importance because it truly shows how quickly countries in Europe could greenlight the FSD suite consecutively. Approvals are already coming in relatively quickly, which is a great sign.

Perhaps the next big development that could come from FSD approvals in Europe is an approval from a country like England, Italy, France, Spain, or Germany. It would be something to see how FSD would perform in a major European metro, such as London, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Rome, or Berlin.

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Full Self-Driving does an excellent job of roaming around major U.S. cities like New York and Los Angeles, but other high-profile international cities of significance would truly mark a line in the sand for Tesla, which can simply enable any vehicle in its customer-owned fleet to run FSD with the correct approvals.

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Elon Musk

SpaceX’s Elon Musk relieves worries about orbital data centers

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Rendering of Elon Musk overlooking a Starship fleet (Credit: Grok)
Rendering of Elon Musk overlooking a Starship fleet (Credit: Grok)

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently confronted worries about orbital data centers and launching satellites in mass quantities in space, as some voiced concerns about crowding.

Musk’s SpaceX plans to combat the issue of needing data centers by launching them into space instead of taking up valuable real estate on Earth. It has been a major point of SpaceX’s future, including its looming IPO, which could be the largest ever.

In a recent interview filmed at SpaceX’s Starlink terminal factory in Bastrop, Texas, Elon Musk directly addressed concerns that deploying large numbers of AI satellites for orbital data centers could crowd Earth’s orbit. His message was straightforward and reassuring: space is vast beyond human intuition.

“Space is really big,” Musk said. “It’s not like space is gonna get crowded. Space is enormous. If you actually look at it relative to the Earth, the satellites are so tiny you can’t even see them.” He emphasized that even zooming in makes a satellite appear large, but from a planetary perspective, they are minuscule specks.

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Musk pointed to SpaceX’s real-world experience operating roughly 10,000 Starlink satellites as evidence that large constellations can be managed safely. “We’ve got a pretty good idea of how to operate just really large constellations and do it safely,” he noted. SpaceX remains the only operator with meaningful experience at this scale, giving the company unique insight into tight orbital packing without compromising safety

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The discussion highlighted SpaceX’s plans for “AI1” satellites—essentially orbiting racks of AI compute powered by massive solar arrays and cooled via radiative panels in space’s vacuum.

These satellites leverage proven Starlink V3 technology, making them simpler to design than communications satellites. A first-generation unit targets around 150 kW peak power, with a 70-meter wingspan for solar panels and radiators. Laser links will connect them to each other and the Starlink network, delivering low-latency access (on the order of a few milliseconds from low-Earth orbit).

FCC accepts SpaceX filing for 1 million orbital data center plan

Musk framed orbital data centers as a practical solution to Earth’s constraints on AI growth. Ground-based facilities face power shortages, water demands for cooling, and grid limitations. In space, constant sunlight (no day-night cycle), vacuum radiative cooling, and abundant solar energy offer clear advantages.

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Production will ramp up at an expanded “Gigasat” factory in Bastrop, with solar manufacturing already underway and full AI satellite output expected at reasonable volume by the end of 2027. Starship’s rapid, high-volume launch capability, aiming for multiple flights per hour, will make massive deployment feasible.

Critics sometimes raise risks like space debris or Kessler syndrome, but Musk’s response underscores scale: even a million satellites would represent an imperceptible fraction of available orbital volume when viewed against Earth’s size. SpaceX’s automated collision avoidance and deorbiting designs for Starlink further mitigate concerns.

This vision ties into broader ambitions. Musk sees orbital AI compute as a step toward harnessing more of the Sun’s energy, advancing humanity on the Kardashev scale from a Type 0 civilization toward Type 1 and eventually Type 2. By moving power-hungry data centers off-planet, SpaceX aims to unlock orders-of-magnitude more compute while preserving Earth’s resources.

Musk’s comments should ease public anxiety. With proven operational expertise, incremental engineering, and the immensity of space itself, orbital data centers represent not overcrowding, but smart expansion into the final frontier.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla Full Self-Driving hits Level 4? One analyst says yes

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is currently listed as a Level 2 suite in terms of its passenger cars. As its Robotaxi platform continues to move quickly, it has been recognized as a Level 4 ride-sharing program by the State of Texas, as Tesla recently self-certified itself.

However, a Wall Street analyst is arguing that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has effectively achieved Level 4 autonomy in most conditions in all of its vehicles, drawing on personal experience and data released by the company.

Alex Potter of Piper Sandler said in a note to investors on Wednesday that “Tesla has solved the self-driving puzzle,” pointing to decisions to offer insurance discounts for FSD-enabled policies as a signal of confidence, which is backed up by stellar safety records compared to human driving.

Investing.com initially reported on Potter’s new note.

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Additionally, Potter looks at the recent start of Cybercab production at Giga Texas as a potential indication that Tesla is ready to offer some level of unsupervised driving at least in the near future. The Cybercab has no steering wheel or pedals, completely eliminating the ability for human input.

He also sees Tesla’s allocation of “several hundred million USD (if not $1B+)” as confidence internally, seeing as it would be tough to set aside that amount of capital toward a project that the company does not see as relatively near-term.

Forward thinking, especially as Cybercab has no human controls, it would make sense that Tesla is at least close to self-driving. How close is another question.

Tesla has routinely teased that unsupervised FSD is close, but there are still a lot of things it feels as if the company has to roll out some more capability, including unsupervised parking features, known as “Banish,” better operation with regional self-driving performance, and other improvements.

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That is not to say that Tesla FSD is super impressive already. It has already completed coast-to-coast drives across the United States and Canada, it routinely takes the stress out of driving for most people, and it has proven through Tesla Safety Reports that it is safer and involved in accidents less frequently than humans.

Even Potter believes it is capable, as he used it to go from Missoula, Montana, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, back in April.

“There’s no substitute for personal experience,” he wrote.

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