Tesla’s Model 3 remained on top of the most popular used EVs in the US last year, with the Model Y in second. Other Tesla vehicles, including the S and X, fell in the rankings as cheaper EV models gained ground.
Top ten most popular used EVs in 2023
Last year, Tesla claimed the top four spots with the 3, Y, S, and X, respectively. As EV adoption climbed in the US, buyers sought more affordable used models.
Tesla’s Model 3 accounted for 34.9% of used EV sales in 2023 (1 to 5-year-old vehicles). The Model Y was second with 11.9% of the share.
The Chevy Bolt EV jumped four spots to third, beating out the Model S and X for 6.9% of the market. Meanwhile, Nissan’s LEAF was fourth with 6.2% of used EV sales in the US.
Although the Chevy Bolt and Nissan LEAF are two of the most affordable EVs in the US, both are due for replacements.
GM stopped building the Bolt EV at the end of the year with plans for a next-gen model due in 2025 (You can still get the Bolt for under $20,000). Nissan’s next-gen LEAF is due out next year. With a complete redesign, it will be closer in style to the Ariya, Nissan’s electric SUV.
2023 rank
Model
2023 % of used EV sales
2022 rank
2022 % of used EV sales
1
Tesla Model 3
34.9%
1
40%
2
Tesla Model Y
11.9%
2
10.3%
3
Chevy Bolt EV
6.9%
6
6.2%
4
Nissan LEAF
6.2%
5
6.7%
5
Tesla Model S
5.6%
3
9.8%
6
Tesla Model X
5.5%
4
7.7%
7
Ford Mustang Mach-E
4.6%
7
3.7%
8
Audi E-Tron
2.9%
8
2.7%
9
Porsche Taycan
2.4%
9
2.4%
10
Volkswagen ID.4
2.2%
10
1.7%
Top ten most popular used EVs in 2023 (Source: iSeeCars)
Tesla’s Model S was the fifth most popular, with 5.6%, down from 9.8% in 2022. The Model X was sixth with 5.5%, down from 7.7% last year.
The remaining most popular used EVs stayed the same, with the Ford Mustang Mach-E in seventh (4.6%), the Audi e-tron eighth (2.9%), the Porsche Taycan ninth (2.4%), and the Volkswagen ID.4 in tenth with 2.2%.
More used EVs are on the way
The US just hit another record, with EV sales expected to account for around 8% of overall sales. Next year, it will be about 10%, according to Cox Automotive.
Cox said the used EV market is expected to be the fastest-growing wholesale/used vehicle market segment.
Most automakers hit record EV sales this year, with demand climbing. Tesla hit its goal, delivering over 1.8 million EVs last year.
Ford said it was the second-best-selling EV brand in the US, with 72,608 electric models sold. The F-150 Lightning was the top-selling electric truck, while the Mustang Mach-E was the second most popular electric SUV.
GM’s Chevy Bolt had a record year with over 62,000 units sold in 2023. Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia both achieved records last year. Hyundai sold nearly 47,000 IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 EVs last year, while Kia EV6 sales reached almost 19,000.
With EV sales climbing, that means more used options will be available. Karl Brauer, executive analyst at online auto research firm iSeeCars, said, “Without major updates to Tesla’s most expensive vehicles, they are likely to continue dropping.”
Tesla is updating the Model 3. The refreshed Model 3 has been spotted testing in the US and is expected to hit the market soon. That could bump up used Model 3 sales even higher.
National Grid Renewables has broken ground on its 100 MW Apple River Solar Project in Polk County, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin solar farm, which will use US-made First Solar Series 6 Plus bifacial modules, will be constructed by The Boldt Company, creating 150 construction and service jobs. Apple River Solar will generate over $36 million in direct economic benefits over its first 20 years.
Once it comes online in late 2025, Apple River Solar will supply clean energy to Xcel Energy, which serves customers throughout the Upper Midwest. According to National Grid Renewables, the solar farm will generate enough energy to power around 26,000 homes annually. It will also offset about 129,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – equivalent to taking 30,900 cars off the road.
“We are excited to see this project begin as it underscores our dedication to delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project is an important step in those goals while bringing significant economic benefits to Polk County and the local townships.”
Electrekreported in February that Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, expects to cut more than 80% – and possibly up to 88% – of its emissions by 2030, putting it on track to hit Minnesota’s goal of net zero by 2040. It also says it’s on track to achieve its clean energy goals for all the Upper Midwest states it serves – Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check outEnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get startedhere. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Tesla has announced that it will finally deliver 500 kW charging as it is about to install its long-awaited V4 Supercharger cabinets.
The rollout of Supercharger V4 has been a strange one, to say the least.
Tesla has been deploying the new charging stations for two years and calling them “Supercharger V4”, but it has only been deploying the charging stalls.
Supercharger stations are made of two main parts: the stalls, which are where the charging cable is located, and the cabinets, which are generally located further back and include all the power electronics.
For all these new “Supercharger V4”, Tesla was actually using Supercharger V3 cabinets. This has been limiting the power output of the charging stations to 250 kW – although
Today, Tesla officially announced its “V4 Cabinet”, which the automaker claims will enable of “delivering up to 500kW for cars and 1.2MW for Semi.”
Here are the main features of the V4 Cabinet as per Tesla:
Faster charging: Supports 400V-1000V vehicle architectures, including 30% faster charging for Cybertruck. S3XY vehicles enjoy 250kW charge rates they already experience on V3 Cabinet — charging up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
Faster deployments: V4 Cabinet powers 8 posts, 2X the stalls per cabinet. Lower footprint and complexity = more sites coming online faster.
Next-generation hardware: Cutting-edge power electronics designed to be the most reliable on the planet, with 3X power density enabling higher throughput with lower costs.
Tesla reports that its first sites with the new V4 Cabinets are going into permitting now. The company expects its first sites to open next year.
We recently reported about Tesla’s new Oasis Supercharger project, which includes larger solar arrays and battery packs to operate the charging station mostly off-grid.
Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.
While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.
Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:
It took about 8 years, but it sounds like the pieces are now getting actually in place with Supercharger V4, Megapacks, and this new Oasis project.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Hyundai has a new secret weapon it’s about ready to unleash. To revamp the brand in China and counter BYD’s surge, Hyundai is launching a new AI-powered EV next year. The new model will be Hyundai’s first dedicated electric car for the world’s largest EV market.
With the help of Haomo, a Chinese autonomous startup, Hyundai will launch its first EV equipped with generative AI. It will also be its first model designed specifically for China.
A Hyundai Motor official said (via The Korea Herald) the company is “working to load the software” onto the new EV model, “which will be released in the Chinese market next year.” The spokesperson added, “The level of autonomous driving is somewhere between 2 and 2.5.”
In comparison, Tesla’s Autopilot is considered a level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) on the SAE scale (0 to 5), meaning it offers limited hands-free features.
With Autopilot, you still have to keep your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel, or the system will notify you and eventually disengage.
Haomo’s system, DriveGPT, unveiled last spring, takes inspiration from the OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.
The system can continuously update in real-time to optimize decision-making by absorbing traffic data patterns. According to Haomo, DriveGPT is used in around 20 models as it looks to play a bigger role in China.
Hyundai hopes new AI-powered EV boosts sales in China
Electric vehicle sales continue surging in China. According to Rho Motion, China set another EV sales record last month with 1.2 million units sold, up 50% from October 2023.
Over 8.4 million EVs were sold in China in the first ten months of 2024, a notable 38% increase from last year.
BYD continues to dominate its home market. According to Autovista24, BYD accounted for 32.9% of all PHEV and EV (NEV) sales in China through September, with over half of the top 20 best-selling EV models.
Tesla was second with a 6.5% share of the market, but keep in mind these numbers only include plug-in models (PHEV).
Like most foreign automakers, Hyundai is struggling to keep up with the influx of low-cost electric models in China. Beijing Hyundai’s sales have been slipping since 2017. Through September, Korean automaker’s share of the Chinese market fell to just 1.2%.
According to local reports, Hyundai is partnering with other local tech companies like Thundersoft, a smart cockpit provider, and others in China to power up its next-gen EVs
With its first AI-powered EV launching next year, Hyundai hopes to turn things around in the region quickly. The new model will be one of five to launch in China through 2026.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.