Global sales of Tesla Model Y to dethrone Toyota Corolla after two decades

The Tesla Model Y appears on track to steal the crown as the world's best-selling car of 2023.

According to data released by industry analytics company Jato Dynamics, a surge in global sales of the Model Y has set up the electric Tesla SUV to take the top spot for the first time.

However, these are merely preliminary figures and the results have yet to be locked in.

It's believed the Toyota Corolla has held the number one in the global sales race for almost two decades, retaining the title consecutively since 2005.

According to the Jato report, the Corolla was on track to lose its crown in 2023 regardless, with the Toyota RAV4 overtaking the small car to take second place in the worldwide sales race.

The data, which has yet to be confirmed, shows the Tesla Model Y with 1.23 million global sales, while the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla sold 1.07 million and 1.01 million respectively.

The Toyota Corolla first took the title of the world's best-selling car in 1997 – taking the crown from the original Volkswagen Beetle – though it's believed it took until 2005 for the Corolla to reclaim the title.

MORE: Toyota again the number one car brand globally, but not all is well

It was a year of upsets for Toyota, with the Ford Ranger overtaking the Toyota HiLux as Australia's best-selling new vehicle last year – marking an end to the HiLux's seven-year winning streak.

But despite the RAV4 being beaten out by the Tesla, Toyota still took the spot of the world's number-one selling car brand globally in 2023.

Individual model sales from 2023 mark the first time in history an electric vehicle has taken the top spot.