In 2019, Tesla achieved an amazing sales record for the Model 3, delivering a little over 300,000 units to customers (globally)! That's absolutely the first model to achieve such a high level.

Cumulatively, Tesla sold some 448,634 Model 3 (preliminary number) and about 900,000 total of all cars since 2008.

Model 3 sales:

  • 2017: 1,764
  • 2018: 146,055
  • 2019: 300,815 (including 92,550 in Q4)

That brings us to the question of when will the Model 3 overtake the Nissan LEAF in cumulative sales stats?

Nissan announced on March 5, 2019 that the Nissan LEAF reached 400,000 (the first electric car to ever hit that level). That's since December 2010.

Another official report from November 25 says more than 430,000 sales, but we think those numbers might not be up to date. We assume that by the end of 2019 the LEAF was at about 450,000-460,000, because EV Sales Blog was reporting more than 51,500 between March and November, and we guess more than 5,000 in December.

In other words, the Tesla Model 3 at about 448,634 should catch the Nissan LEAF at 450,000-460,000 within weeks. Definitely during the first quarter of 2020.

The Tesla Model 3 will then become the top-selling electric car of all time (cumulatively) and, probably by the end of Q1 2020, also the first at 500,000.

Nissan LEAF G (2-tone Vivid Blue and Super Black)
Nissan LEAF G (2-tone Vivid Blue and Super Black)

1 million Tesla cars

With more than 900,000 electric cars sold since 2008, Tesla is expected also to become the first manufacturer ever to reach a milestone of 1 million sales cumulatively.

All they have to do is to sell some 100,000 more in Q1, which after an outstanding Q4 (112,000) seems very likely.

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