Exciting Neck-and-Neck Race

Which model was ahead worldwide in 2024?

Despite a difficult environment, the automotive industry performed strongly in 2024, selling more than 77 million passenger vehicles worldwide. The Tesla Model Y, along with Toyota’s Corolla and RAV4, were locked in an exciting neck-and-neck race until the very end for the title of the world’s best-selling car.

The past year was eventful: political uncertainty, upheaval at many major car brands, and faltering progress in the shift to electromobility. Nevertheless, global sales — in contrast to the trend in Switzerland — did not decline. On the contrary, the numbers even rose slightly. The more than 77 million passenger cars sold in 2024 represent an increase of around three percent compared to the previous year. The race for the best-selling model was closer than ever before. In the end, electric carmaker Tesla had reason to celebrate — the Model Y was the best-selling car in the world in 2024, narrowly ahead of the Toyota Corolla and RAV4.

A closer analysis reveals that Toyota models, particularly in European markets, lost ground to the Tesla Model Y. In Switzerland as well, for example, the Model Y was the best-selling vehicle — far ahead of the Toyota Corolla and RAV4. Amusingly, the competing models performed better on the home continent of their rival manufacturer than in their own: the Model Y did better in Asia than the Corolla and RAV4, while the Toyota Corolla sold better than the Model Y in America.

The largest car manufacturer — and thus the number one globally — remains the Japanese company Toyota. In the ranking of the world's highest-selling vehicle producers, the Japanese once again led the field in 2024, as they have every year since 2018. Toyota sold a total of 10.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2024. A major factor in this success were, of course, the Corolla and RAV4 models, as well as the Camry.

While most manufacturers worldwide saw slight declines, Chinese giant BYD recorded strong growth — a remarkable increase of over 40 percent. However, Europe is not responsible for this impressive expansion, as BYD is still not performing as hoped there. The growth is primarily driven by China, where 95 percent of all BYD vehicles are sold domestically. Since April, the electric carmaker has entered the Swiss market — and it has big plans.

Europe’s Top Ten Favorites
The European car market follows a different trend compared to regions like Asia or America. On this continent, the best-selling car of 2024 came neither from Tesla nor Toyota — nor even from the Volkswagen Group. Instead, the Dacia Sandero outperformed all competitors across Europe last year. More than 268,000 units were sold in 2024. Key to its success, alongside a refreshed design, is its consistently attractive price-performance ratio.

Further down the list, in fourth place, is the Tesla Model Y, with just under 210,000 units sold. Meanwhile, the globally successful Toyota Corolla and RAV4 didn’t even make it into Europe’s top ten.

Cautious Optimism for the Future
At the moment, it’s still too early to make predictions about the bestsellers of the current year, 2025. But judging by Tesla’s poor sales figures in the first quarter, it seems unlikely the company will be able to defend its title. In Europe alone, new registrations have dropped by nearly half compared to the same quarter last year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with his political antics in the U.S., likely shares some of the blame for this downturn.

Still, despite trade wars and tariffs, the auto industry is looking to the future with a degree of optimism — at least when it comes to global figures. In key markets such as Asia, Europe, North and South America, experts are predicting modest growth this year. And for 2026, forecasts point to as many as 81 million new vehicle registrations.

Juan Thomas
Editor, Automotive & Mobility