Electric Vehicles Top 5 Vehicle Classes in California — CHARTS

Last Updated on: 24th May 2025, 03:30 am

Electric vehicles account for more than 20% — more than one out of five — auto sales in California. The Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 dominate the market and are the first and third best selling cars in the state. However, several other electric models rank very well in their own vehicle classes. Let’s take a look at seven vehicle classes where electric vehicles are the top sellers in the Golden State, five of which have an EV in the #1 spot.

Okay, we’ll start with the big ones. In the luxury subcompact SUV market, the Tesla Model Y crushes the competition, as it has done for years. Despite sales being down (considerably), you can’t even tell looking at this chart because the Model Y is so far ahead of the other “top sellers.”

… And it’s essentially the same story in the “near luxury car” class (which really has to be the weirdest vehicle class out there). The Model 3 dominates, and even with sales down, it’s multiple times higher than the #2 Lexus ES. Another electric model, the BMW i4, then slips into third. Congratulations, BMW, on that.

Here’s where things get interesting! In the “2-row midsize SUV” class, the Honda Prologue has shot up into the leadership position. It just goes to show how big the Honda brand is and how much it helps EV sales to have Honda offer a real EV option, even if it was actually developed by GM. Then you’ve got the Ford Mustang Mach-E in second place, and we should give a nod to this vehicle for ranking well in its class for several years now. That’s not easy to do.

We don’t have an electric winner in this vehicle class. Additionally, we’ve seen the Model X decline and lose its place in this category over the years. But, hey, it’s still in the top 5, and so is the BMW iX. Congratulations?

In the “large luxury SUV” class, we have another electric winner! The Rivian R1S took the gold in this class, and it’s well deserved. We should also note that a decent portion of those Cadillac Escalade sales are probably Cadillac Escalade IQ sales — or pure EV sales.

We’ve got another non-Tesla electric category winner here. Kudos to Mercedes for scoring big with the EQB — and not even having to look over their shoulder. Additionally, we’ve got the Audi Q4 e-tron trying to make its way up the chart.

Last but not least — oh wait, yes, this is the least (sales are the lowest in this category) — we’ve got the “luxury and high-end sports car” category. This is the only category where we’ve got three electric models in the top five. It’s also quite humorous that two “Tesla killers” actually are outselling a Tesla, the Model S, for once. The BMW i5 and Lucid Air are elbowing each other and trying to work their way up to 1st place. Can one of them — or the Model S — achieve that goal in the second quarter? We shall see!

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