Plugin electric vehicle (PEV) registrations surged by a whopping 35% globally to 13.7 million units in 2023 compared to the prior year, EV-Volumes market analyst José Pontes reports via CleanTechnica. Unsurprisingly, Tesla’s electric crossover Model Y defended its position as the best-selling model in the global market last year.
Plugin vehicle sales in 2023
As mentioned, plugin registrations enjoyed a 35% YoY increase to nearly 14 million last year.
Plugin hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) significantly contributed to the plugin market’s growth, with a notable year-on-year sales increase of 47% and a 31% market share. In 2022, PHEVs only held 28% of the plugin electric vehicle sales.
Meanwhile, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) had a slower growth than PHEVs. Nonetheless, it still recorded a YoY sales increase of 30% in 2023.
In December alone, PEV share surged to a record-breaking 22% (15% BEV). It enabled the full-year share to hit 16% (11% BEV), slightly up from just 14% (10% BEV) in the prior year.
Presented below are the most popular PEV models in December 2023 and January-December and category leaders:
Best-selling plugin electric vehicles – December 2023
| Rank | Model | December | % |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 128,410 | 8.2% |
| 2 | BYD Song (BEV+PHEV) | 76,086 | 4.9% |
| 3 | Tesla Model 3 | 56,896 | 3.7% |
| 4 | BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV) | 44,701 | 2.9% |
| 5 | BYD Seagull | 41,012 | 2.6% |
| 6 | BYD Yuan Plus / Atto 3 | 37,707 | 2.4% |
| 7 | BYD Dolphin | 30,510 | 2.0% |
| 8 | Wuling Bingo | 27,458 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Wuling HongGuang Mini EV | 25,035 | 1.6% |
| 10 | AITO M7 | 25,545 | 1.6% |
| 11 | GAC Aion Y | 22,717 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Li Xiang L7 | 20,428 | 1.3% |
| 13 | VW ID.4 | 19,959 | 1.3% |
| 14 | BYD Han (BEV+PHEV) | 19,904 | 1.3% |
| 15 | VW ID.3 | 17,861 | 1.1% |
| 16 | GAC Aion S | 15,216 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Li Xiang L8 | 15,013 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Li Xiang L9 | 14,913 | 1.0% |
| 19 | SAIC MG4 / Mulan | 12,964 | 0.8% |
| 20 | BYD Tang (BEV+PHEV) | 12,823 | 0.8% |
| Others | 891,570 | 57.3% | |
| TOTAL | 1,556,728 | 100% |
Best-selling plugin electric vehicles – YTD
| Rank | Model | 2023 | % |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 1,211,601 | 8.9% |
| 2 | BYD Song (BEV+PHEV) | 636,533 | 4.6% |
| 3 | Tesla Model 3 | 529,287 | 3.9% |
| 4 | BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV) | 456,306 | 3.3% |
| 5 | BYD Yuan Plus / Atto 3 | 418,994 | 3.1% |
| 6 | BYD Dolphin | 354,591 | 2.6% |
| 7 | BYD Seagull | 254,179 | 1.9% |
| 8 | Wuling HongGuang Mini EV | 237,919 | 1.7% |
| 9 | GAC Aion Y | 235,861 | 1.7% |
| 10 | BYD Han (BEV+PHEV) | 228,007 | 1.7% |
| 11 | GAC Aion S | 220,915 | 1.6% |
| 12 | VW ID.4 | 192,686 | 1.4% |
| 13 | Wuling Bingo | 169,157 | 1.2% |
| 14 | BYD Tang (BEV+PHEV) | 141,581 | 1.0% |
| 15 | VW ID.3 | 139,268 | 1.0% |
| 16 | Changan Lumin | 139,193 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Li Xiang L7 | 134,089 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Denza D9 (BEV+PHEV) | 118,671 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Li Xiang L8 | 117,990 | 0.9% |
| 20 | Li Xiang L9 | 114,377 | 0.8% |
| Others | 7,638,086 | 55.8% | |
| TOTAL | 13,689,291 | 100% |
Category leaders
| Category | Leading Model |
| A-segment/City Cars | BYD Seagull |
| B-segment/Subcompacts | BYD Dolphin |
| C-segment/Compacts | BYD Yuan Plus/Atto 3 |
| D-segment/Midsize | Tesla Model Y |
| E/F-segments/Full Size | BYD Han |
| Pickup Trucks | Ford F-150 Lightning |
| LCVs/Vans | Stellantis |
As part of the zero-emission vehicle category, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) results are also worth mentioning. It suffered a 38% YoY decline to 9,511 unit registrations last year, with Hyundai Nexo leading the rankings with 5,000 registrations. The decline in FCEV sales highlights customers’ growing interest in plugin hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.
