Staggering Tesla Statistics & Facts (2023 Edition)
Like it or not, electric vehicles are the way of the future. According to the latest Tesla statistics, electric vehicle sales jumped—but none as much as Tesla. Tesla’s growth in the years between 2019 and 2022 has been astronomical. Some people are so enamored with Tesla that the company has gained a cult-like following. At the same time, many see Tesla as overpriced and the company’s leader, Elon Musk, as a less-than-stellar figure.
So what’s the deal with Tesla? We took a look at some statistics to learn more.
The Most Interesting Tesla Statistics: Editor’s Choice
In 2021, Tesla was the most valuable automotive brand in the world.
Tesla’s revenue for 2021 was $53.8 billion — up 71% compared to 2022.
Tesla sold 936,222 vehicles in 2021.
The Tesla Model 3 is the best-selling electric vehicle worldwide.
In 2020, Tesla’s share price increased by 700%.
Tesla’s operating margin in 2022 is 19.2%.
Tesla’s energy generation and storage sector generated about $2 billion in revenue in 2020.
Tesla’s highest-paid employee makes about $270,000 annually.
Men are much more likely to own Teslas than women.
In 2020, Tesla spent almost $1.5 billion on research and development.
Tesla Statistics 2023
Let’s take a look at some numbers that demonstrate Tesla’s massive growth through 2020 and 2021. Not only did Tesla see a share price increase of hundreds of percent, but the Tesla brand also rose to be the most valuable automotive brand in the world, and the Model 3 became the best-selling electric vehicle in the world, with over a million units sold in 2021.
In 2021, Tesla was the most valuable automotive brand in the world.
With a revenue of $53.8 billion in 2021, Tesla was easily the most valuable automotive brand globally. Not only that, Tesla sales figures by year show that Tesla ranked among the top 15 brands across all industries. The company was also the fastest-growing brand worldwide, with a growth rate of 157%.
The second-most-valuable automotive brand in the world is Toyota, one of the largest companies in the automotive industry.
(Statista)
Tesla sold 936,222 vehicles in 2021.
Numbers show that in 2021, 930,422 vehicles were manufactured, and almost six thousand more were sold.
The total number of vehicles that Tesla delivered between Q1 and Q3 of 2021 was 627,350, which was an increase of 16% over the total Tesla sales numbers for the whole 2020 fiscal year. The company looks poised to outdo that number again, with deliveries for January through March of 2022 totaling 310,000.
(Tesla, Statista)
The Tesla Model 3 is the best-selling electric vehicle worldwide.
The Tesla Model 3 had worldwide sales of over 500,000 units in 2021, making it the most-purchased electric vehicle in the world, and easily the most popular Tesla model. Deliveries of the Model 3 and the Model Y accounted for about 97% of Tesla’s sales in 2021.
Part of the surge in popularity is attributable to Tesla’s purchase of land for a factory in China, a move that many think may ease political tensions between China and the US. In 2021 the Model 3 became the first electric vehicle to sell over 1 million units.
(Statista)
The Model 3 is the most-registered electric vehicle in Europe.
Recent trends show that not only US customers love Teslas. 2021 Tesla sales by country show that it was one of the most popular EV brands in Europe. Namely, there were 167,549 Tesla units sold across 28 European markets and the Model 3 was the single most registered EV model in Europe.
(Best Selling Cars)
In 2020, Tesla’s share price increased by 677%.
Tesla saw monumental growth in 2020, outperforming the rest of the S&P 500 by an incredible margin. The market was considered to have a good year, considering the extenuating circumstances of Covid.19, showing a 14% return. However, Tesla’s growth rate of nearly sevenfold eclipsed gains seen by the rest of the market.
(Statista)
Tesla’s market cap in 2020 dwarfed competitive automakers.
In 2020, Tesla saw its share prices soar, which boosted its valuation to 17 times its revenue for the previous year. In September of 2021, Tesla’s market cap was $442.7 billion, while the next-closest competitor, Toyota, was valued at $185.4 billion. Tesla’s company size is tiny compared to Toyota, and Tesla produces about one-tenth the number of vehicles that Toyota does in a year.
(Statista)
Tesla’s year-on-year brand value growth rate in 2021 was 185%.
Tesla’s brand value increased five times as much as the next leading competitor in 2021. While Tesla saw a brand value growth of 185%, Salesforce, the brand with the next fastest growth rate, saw growth of just 37%. In third place was Adobe, with a brand value growth of 36%.
(Statista)
Tesla’s factories have been operating below capacity for the last two years due to supply chain limitations.
Tesla’s industry analysis showcases its plans to grow its manufacturing capacity in the coming years. Tesla has a multi-year timeline in place to expand vehicle delivery at a 50% annual rate. In the last two years, factories were forced to operate at limited capacity due to supply chain issues and other Covid-related concerns.
(Tesla)
Revenue and Expenses
What was Tesla’s annual revenue for 2021? How about expenses? How does the company stack up against other automotive companies in terms of revenue and market cap? Interestingly, many don’t see Tesla as an automotive company when it comes to these figures: they see Tesla more as a tech company that happens to make cars since the numbers are more on a par with companies like Apple than with Toyota.
In 2020, Tesla spent almost $1.5 billion on research and development.
According to a Tesla industry analysis, R&D expenses for 2020 were almost $1.5 billion. That year, the company sold just under 500,000 vehicles. One of the main reasons for the company’s increase in research and development spending was to improve the range of its cars’ batteries.
(Statista)
Tesla’s operating margin in 2022 is 19.2%.
Tesla has been operating in greater-than-zero margins since Q3 of 2019, and in Q2 of 2021, the company saw a net income of over $1 billion for the first time. Tesla’s operating margin improved drastically from 11% in Q1 of 2021 to 19.2% in Q1 of 2022.
Judging by the latest Tesla market trends, this increase in operating income was primarily attributed to growth in vehicle deliveries, reduced cost (COGS) per vehicle despite inflation, lower stock-based compensation expense, and an increase in regulatory credit sales. It was negatively impacted by the rising costs of raw materials and an increase in operating expenses.
(Statista, Tesla)
Tesla’s revenue for 2021 was $53.8 billion — up 71% compared to 2020.
Tesla’s total revenue of $53.8 billion in 2021 represents a huge increase year-over-year. Over 85% of Tesla’s revenue ($47 billion) comes from the sale, design, and manufacturing of their electric vehicles: the Model 3, Model X, Model S, and the latest, Model Y.
(Statista)
Tesla’s general expenses in 2021 totaled over $4 billion.
Not counting research and development, Tesla’s general and administrative costs totaled approximately $4.5 billion in 2021, up from $3 billion in 2020. The previous peak was seen in 2018, at over $2.8 billion.
(Statista)
Tesla Cars
Let’s take a look at some facts about Tesla cars. What’s so special about them? Why are they causing such a fuss and skyrocketing Tesla to the top of the automotive industry? To put it simply: electric vehicles are revolutionizing the world, and Tesla is leading the way in electric vehicle technology. With the addition of the reasonably-priced Model 3, Tesla has started to shift its image away from a luxury brand to expand its appeal to a larger segment of the population.
The Tesla Model 3 has the best battery range of any electric vehicle.
Tesla statistics show that when it comes to ranking EV battery ranges, the Tesla Model 3 and the Lucid Air Dream Edition came out on top in the years between 2019 and 2022. Range ratings are based on estimates provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.)
(Statista)
Tesla is not only the best-selling electric vehicle brand; it’s also a major luxury vehicle brand.
The best-selling luxury vehicle maker in the United States is still BMW, with sales of over 336,000 units in 2021. However, Tesla sales are hot on BMW’s heels, with Tesla recording sales of over 313,400 luxury vehicles for the same year. The next best-selling luxury vehicle brand is Lexus by Toyota, with sales of about 303,000, followed by Mercedes-Benz, with around 276,100 units sold in 2021.
(Statista)
The Tesla Model 3 is asserted to be one of the safest cars in the world.
Tesla autopilot crash statistics indicate that the Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3 have all achieved the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicle tested by the New Car Assessment Program, a vehicle safety program run by the US government. In Q4 of 2021, the company recorded just one crash for every 4.31 million miles driven.
(Tesla)
Other Interesting Tesla Facts
Beyond manufacturing and selling cars, Tesla also runs an energy generation and storage operation that nets the company about $2 billion in revenue every year. Tesla also owns almost 600 patents related to electrical machinery and transportation. What are some other surprising things that you may not know about Tesla?
The United States is Tesla’s largest market.
Tesla trends reveal that Americans love Teslas. Tesla’s total revenue in 2021 was around $54 billion, and the United States accounted for the largest portion of that revenue. The US market generated about $24 billion in revenue for the company, just over 45% of the total. The second-largest market for Tesla in 2021 was China, which generated about $14 billion in revenue for the company, about 26% of the total.
(Statista)
Tesla’s energy generation and storage sector generated about $2 billion in revenue in 2020.
One of the lesser-known cool facts about Tesla is that although Tesla’s primary venture is electric vehicle production, it also operates an energy generation and storage segment, which has been generating increasing revenue since 2015. In 2016, Tesla acquired Solar City, which lead to massive increases in its energy generation sector.
(Statista)
Tesla’s energy storage sector increased deployments by 90% in Q1 of 2022.
Tesla’s energy storage sector faced limitations from supply chain difficulties due to Covid-19 in the last two years. In Q1 of 2022, however, the company saw energy storage deployments increase by 90% year-over-year. Demand for these products remains much higher than supply, so Tesla is dedicating resources to its Megapack factory in an effort to meet demand in 2022.
(Tesla)
Tesla’s highest-paid employee makes about $270,000 annually.
The highest-paid position at Tesla is the Director of Software Engineering, and the annual salary for that position is $266,000. That puts the Tesla pay rate for engineers on a par with other leading tech companies in Silicon Valley. The second-highest-paid position is Director of Sales, who takes home about $250,000 per year. At the bottom of the list is the Associate Business Process Analyst, who makes $54,000 per year.
(H1B Salary Database)
Tesla has almost 600 patents.
One of the lesser well-known facts about Tesla is that it owns hundreds of patents. As of March 2021, a study performed by independent companies revealed that Tesla holds about 580 patents. Most of those patents (about 281) are related to electrical machinery, while about 200 are related to transportation.
Tesla has released a statement that the company will not issue patent lawsuits against any individual who uses its patent in good faith. The company states that improving electric vehicle technology is more important than squabbling about patents.
(Nikkei Asia)
Tesla operates Supercharger stations in over 40 countries.
Tesla statistics indicate that there are more than 30 thousand Supercharger stations in over 40 countries. The number of Supercharger stations run by the company increased from less than 2000 in 2020. In the years between 2019 and 2022, the number of stations has jumped by about 89%.
The US and China account for almost 64% of all Supercharger station locations. The US has almost 1250 stations and China has almost 1000. Canada follows with less than 250 Supercharger stations.
(Tesla)
The Model 3’s greatest competition comes from other Tesla models.
The latest Tesla stats show that despite being the most popular electric vehicle in the world, the Model 3 does face some stiff competition — from Tesla’s other models, most notably the Model Y and the Model S Plaid refresh. Other competitors who made the list of best-selling EVs in 2021 include GM-SAIC-Wuling’s HongGuang Mini EV and Volkswagen’s new ID.3 model.
(Statista)
There have been just 12 deaths inside Teslas driven by autopilots.
The Tesla fatality rate is very low when the car is driven by autopilot. So far, there have been 261 total Tesla fatalities since the company began selling cars. Of those fatalities, 12 (0.04%) occurred when the car was being operated by autopilot. To date, there have been 85 total fires caused by Teslas, with 32 of those fires resulting in a fatality.
(Tesla Deaths, Tesla Fires)
Demographics of Tesla Owners
Who is the most likely person to own a Tesla? If you answered “an old white guy,” you are correct, but with the addition of the Model 3, that may be changing. Until now, the cost of Tesla cars has been high enough that only well-off people could afford them: predominantly, middle-aged white men making over $100,000 per year. Can Tesla shift that perception to appeal to a larger demographic? Or is the company’s goal to remain on the luxury side of the car business?
Tesla Model 3 owners are, on average, older than most Americans.
The average age of a Tesla owner is about 43 years old for the Model 3, while the average age of an American citizen is 38. Tesla Model X and Model S owners are even older, with an average age of 53. Teslas are relatively expensive, so it makes sense that young people would not be able to afford them.
(TeslaRati)
Men are much more likely to own Teslas than women.
Men own 84% of all Tesla Model 3s that have been sold to date. Therefore, only 16% of Tesla Model 3s are owned by women. All Tesla models are predominantly driven by men: Model S owners are 77% male, while Model X owners are 71% male, Tesla owner demographics indicate.
(HedgesCompany)
A Model S owner’s annual income is over $150,000.
The average annual income of a Tesla Model S owner is $151,096. It’s a slight drop from the data we had a couple of years ago where the annual income of an average Tesla S owner was $153,313. However, this is still double the median annual American household income ($67,521).
(HedgesCompany)
Tesla FAQ
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Tesla Statistics: The Takeaway
Tesla is in ludicrous mode. In the last few years, the company has seen monumental growth, outstripping the competition both as an electric vehicle, a luxury vehicle, a brand, and an automotive company. There’s no doubt that Tesla is leading the way in electric vehicle technology and, as many hope, a not-so-distant fully electric future.
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