Americans like affordable, dependable cars. That much is clear with a quick audit of the most popular passenger cars of the last few decades. No surprise that the nameplates tend to start with Toyota or Honda. However, on the list of best-selling cars over the course of last year, one American car snuck into the top rankings. It’s the Tesla Model 3, the electric car marque’s most accessible EV.

The Tesla Model 3 was the No. 2 best-selling passenger car in the United States– barely

The Tesla Model 3 certainly doesn’t start at the same price point as the other best-selling cars, like the Toyota Camry or Honda Civic. In fact, at around $40,630, the entry-level Model 3 Standard Range RWD EV is pricier than the top-trim 2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid XLE by over $12,000. Still, that didn’t stop the Model 3 from outselling Toyota’s popular compact sedan. 

In fact, the Tesla Model 3 outsold all but one passenger car in the U.S. market: the perenially popular Toyota Camry. And it’s quite a margin. According to the sales data for 2023, Americans purchased an estimated 58,279 more Camrys than they did Model 3s.

However, the margin was much closer between the Model 3 in the No. 2 spot and the Toyota Corolla in the No. 3 spot. Specifically, American buyers bought an estimated 330 fewer Corollas than they did Model 3s in 2023. Still, that No. 2 spot makes the Model 3 the only American car in the top 5 best-selling passenger cars.

Incidentally, the Model 3 is the only American passenger car, meaning non-SUV or truck, among the top 25 best-selling vehicles. Even with sales credentials like that, the Model 3 couldn’t outsell its larger sibling though. American car buyers took home an estimated 385,900 Model Ys in 2023, making it the best-selling EV and one of the hottest SUVs on the market.