While Tesla outpaces its competitors in fleet sales, its presence in the commercial market doesn’t mirror its dominance in the consumer sector
October 28, 2023 at 16:40
In yet another sales chart victory for Tesla, the Model 3 is the most popular electric vehicle when it comes to fleet registrations. However, the automaker is not as dominant in the realm of fleets as it is on the consumer side.
Between June 2022 and July 2023, fleets registered 28,252 new Model 3s. That’s a number that was helped by Tesla’s deal for 100,000 vehicles with rental company Hertz. A savvy move to allow curious buyers to test the vehicle, as well as the automaker’s charging network, topping the fleet charts is a positive for the brand.
However, the Model Y is only the third best-selling fleet EV, while the Model X ranks 11th, and the Model S ranks 19th, according to S&P Global. Although Tesla still performs well overall, it’s less successful than it is on the consumer side of the market, where its EVs dominate the sales charts.
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New Vehicle Registrations to Fleets, June 2022-July 2023
Read: Tesla Has Just Sold Its 1 Millionth EV In Europe As Model Y Continues To Top Sales Charts
Tesla’s resistance to unionization may be partially to blame for that, as the second-best performing EV in terms of fleet sales is the Chevrolet Bolt. Although production of the current model is being wound down, it represented 39 percent of EV registrations with the U.S. government between June 2022 and July 2023.
In fact, the government bought more Bolts than it did Ford F-150 Lightnings, Transits, and Mustang Mach-Es combined. All part of a move to transition its fleet to electric power, the Biden administration has explicitly favored union-made vehicles in its public messaging.
American fleets are also favoring domestic vehicles, and all five of the best-selling EVs were from U.S. companies. However, the Polestar 2 was the sixth-best selling vehicle for electric fleets, while the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona were the ninth and 10th-best sellers.
That’s good news for American automakers, as EV sales appear to be plateauing on the consumer side. The large commitments that fleets make, in addition to their ability to allow other consumers to experience EVs, make them an important source of both revenue and PR for manufacturers as they reckon with the expensive development of electric technology.
