List of best-selling automobiles

Since the introduction of the Benz Patent Motorwagen in 1886, some passenger cars and light trucks can claim to being the highest selling vehicles in the automobile markets.

The 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. It is the all-time best-selling car with only a single body style.

While references to verify the manufacturers' claims have been included, there is always the possibility of inaccuracy or hyperbole. A single vehicle can be sold concurrently under several nameplates in different markets, as with for example the Nissan Sunny; in such circumstances manufacturers often provide only cumulative units sold figures for all models. As a result, there is no definitive standard for measuring units sold; Chrysler minivans has sold over 16 million worldwide, while Volkswagen has claimed its Beetle is the best-selling car in history, as it did not substantially change throughout its production run.^[1] By contrast, Toyota has applied the Corolla nameplate to 12 generations since 1966, which have sold over 50 million through 2021.^[2]

World's bestsellers

Four cars have been widely acknowledged as the "bestselling automobile in the world" since Ford built its millionth Model T on December 10, 1915. The Model T itself remained the highest seller until forty five years after production ceased in 1927. On February 17, 1972 Volkswagen claimed that the Ford had been surpassed by the Beetle, when the 15,007,034th was manufactured.^[1] Although the Model T has subsequently been credited with 16.5 million units sold, the error is inconsequential in light of the Beetle reaching 21 million.^[3] The Model T was eventually surpassed within Ford by the Ford F-Series, a pickup truck that is directly descended from the Model T roadster pickup.

The Beetle remained the bestselling vehicle in the car industry until the late 1990s,^[4] when it was overtaken by the Toyota Corolla, due to the Corolla's good fuel mileage.^[5] However, this was an example of the modern practice of applying a brand name across a wide range of vehicles, and retaining it for marketing purposes even as the car changes drastically.^[6] While the first Corolla in 1966 was rear-wheel drive and rode on a 2286 mm wheelbase, the current hybrid and all-wheel drive models share a 2640 mm wheelbase and use a mechanically unrelated platform.^[7] Sales of the Beetle were also surpassed by its successor, the Volkswagen Golf.

The original model Lada produced by AvtoVAZ of Russia, is the most numerous vehicle ever marketed without any major design change during its production history, with over 20 million units sold between 1970 and mid-2012. The Lada, sometimes known as the "Classic" in the West, was originally based on the 1960s Fiat 124 but mechanically upgraded to cope with poor roads and harsh climates. Between 1970 and 1979, some 5 million cars had been produced. These were marketed as the VAZ-2101 (1200 sedan), VAZ-2102 (1200 estate), VAZ-2103 (quad headlights, higher-spec. interior than 1200), VAZ-2106 (improved 2103). Between 1980 and 2012 over 15 million more Ladas were produced, and these were badged for various export markets such as Rivas (UK), Signets (Canada), and Novas (Germany). The car was also built under licence in several countries (production figures unknown). Although various updates were made to the car's bumpers, steering columns, and interior fittings, as well as other minor mechanical improvements throughout its production life, the basic Fiat 124 derived design remained unchanged.

Overview of globally best-selling automobiles

Image	Automobile	Production	Units sold	Notes
1927 Ford Model-T.	Ford Model T	1908–1927	16,500,000[8]	The first car to achieve one million, five million, ten million and fifteen million units sold.[8] In 1914, it was estimated that nine out of every ten cars in the world were Fords.[citation needed]
	Lada "Classic"	1970–2012[9]	17,750,000[10]	The number does not include the platform's archetype Fiat 124 and its other license-built examples (e.g. SEAT 124, SEAT 1430).
	Volkswagen Beetle	1938–2003	21,529,464[3]	The first car to achieve twenty million units sold.[1]
2019 Toyota Corolla.	Toyota Corolla	1966–present	50,000,000 by 2021[2]	The 50 million milestone was reached in 2021. However, the model types have changed over the years.[2]

National bestsellers

Best sellers by country

Country	Image	Automobile	Years sold	Notes
Australia		Ford Falcon	1960–2016	Over 3,578,689.[11]
Argentina		Toyota HiLux	1960–present	Approximately 17,700,000, number reached in 2017.[12]
Bangladesh	Twelfth generation Toyota Corolla.	Toyota Corolla	1966–present	[13][14]
Brazil	2007 Volkswagen Gol Plus.	Volkswagen Gol[15]	1980–2023	7,000,000, number reached on December 12, 2022.[16]
China		Wuling Hongguang	2010–present	4,549,592 to December 2020.[17]
Czech Republic	Škoda Octavia 3rd generation after pre-facelift	Škoda Octavia	1996–present	Over 6,000,000 to 2016.[18]
France	Fourth generation Renault Clio.	Renault Clio	1990–present	12,300,000 to 2013.[19]
Germany	Volkswagen Golf.	Volkswagen Golf[15]	1974–present	Over 25,000,000 to 2006.[20]
India	Maruti Suzuki Alto	Maruti Suzuki Alto	2000–present	5,000,000 until 2024.[21]
Indonesia	Toyota Avanza	Toyota Avanza	2003–present	2,021,838 units sold from 2004 to December 2023 in three generations.[22][23][24][25][26]
Italy	First generation Fiat Uno.	Fiat Uno	1983–1995 (in Italy)	Over 8,000,000.[27]
Japan	Twelfth generation Toyota Corolla.	Toyota Corolla	1966–present	Over 50,000,000
Malaysia		Proton Saga	1985–present	1,900,000 since 1985.[28]
Netherlands		DAF 44	1966–1974	167,902[29]
Poland		Polski Fiat 126p	1973–2000	3,318,674 in Poland.[30][31]
Romania		Dacia 1300	1969–2004	1,959,730 sold in Romania.[32][33]
Spain		SEAT Ibiza	1984–present	3,949,597 up to 2008.[34]
Sweden	Volvo 240 station wagonn.	Volvo 200 Series	1974–1993	2,862,573.[35]
Turkey	Second generation Renault Symbol.	Renault Symbol	1999–2021	260,000 up to 2013.[36][37]
United Kingdom	1993 Mini Cooper.	Mini	1959–2000	5,505,874.[38]
United States	2021 F-150 Double Cab	Ford F-Series	1948–present	Over 40,000,000.[39]
Vietnam	2017 Toyota Vios 1.5L.	Toyota Vios	2013–present	67,787 up to 2018.[citation needed]

Brand bestsellers

Current brands

Brand	Image	Automobile	Production	Units sold and notes
Alfa Romeo	1979 Alfasud ti	Alfa Romeo Alfasud	1972–1989	1,017,387.[40]
Alpine	Alpine-Renault A310	Alpine A110 (2017)	2017–present	18,985.[41][42]
Aston Martin	Aston Martin DBX.	Aston Martin DBX	2020–present	10,675 to end of 2023.[43][44][45][46]
Audi		Audi A4	1994–2024	Over 7,500,000 to 2019[47]
Baojun	Baojun 510	Baojun 510	2017–present	972,042 to 2021.[48] Notable for being a highest-selling newly introduced automobile nameplate in world's history.[49]
BMW		BMW 3 Series	1975–present	Over 14,000,000 to 2015.
Buick	1964 Buick LeSabre.	Buick LeSabre	1959–2005	Over 6,000,000.[50]
Bugatti	1929 Bugatti Typ 40 Grand Sport Tourer.	Bugatti Type 40	1926–1930	Approximately 800.[51]
BYD		BYD F3	2005–2022	1,684,904, excluding exports.[52]
Cadillac	Cadillac De Ville.	Cadillac De Ville	1959–2005	Approximately 3,870,000 excluding early Series 62 hardtops, 1981–1988, 1991–93, and 2000–05. (Total production for those periods is unknown, but a good guess is over 1,300,000.)[53][54]
Chevrolet	1965 Chevrolet Impala.	Chevrolet Impala	1958–1985 1994–1996 2000–2020	Over 13,000,000 to 1996.[55]
Chrysler	1961 Chrysler Newport.	Chrysler Newport	1961–1981	Approximately 1,920,000 (excluding early Newport hardtops).[53][54]
Citroën	First generation Citroën 2CV.	Citroën 2CV	1948–1990	3,872,583. Including commercial variants, the total figure is approximately nine million[56]
Dacia	Dacia Sandero.	Dacia Sandero	2008–present	over 2,700,000 (includes the Stepway version).
De Tomaso	De Tomaso Pantera.	De Tomaso Pantera	1970–1991	7,260 produced over a single generation[57]
Dodge	Dodge Coronet.	Dodge Coronet	1949–1959 1965–1976	Approximately 2,060,000 in six generations not counting 1949–53 four-doors, 1953 coupés, Dodge Chargers and Super Bees. (Production of 1949–53 four-doors and 1953 coupés is unknown but a reasonable guess is about 400,000 total.)
Ferrari	Ferrari 360 Modena.	Ferrari 360	1999–2004	Over 17,000 coupés and convertibles.[58]
Fiat	First generation Fiat Uno.	Fiat Uno	1983–2021	Approximately 8,800,000 worldwide to 2004. Sold over six million in Western Europe before being replaced by the Punto in 1995, while production continued in South Africa, Poland and Brazil.[59]
Ford	1955 Ford F-100.	Ford F-Series	1948–present	Over 40,000,000. America's bestselling vehicle for 40 consecutive years;[39] 33,900,000 in 12 generations to May 2010.[60]
Haval		Haval H6	2012–present	3,892,260 between 2012 and 2022, excluding exports.[61]
Henry J	1951 Henry J.	Henry J Deluxe	1951–1954	43,400.[53]
Hindustan	Hindustan Ambassador.	Hindustan Ambassador	1958–2014	Almost 4,000,000.[62]
Holden	Holden Commodore (VE).	Holden Commodore	1978–2019	3,130,000 to 2013.[63]
Honda	First generation Honda Civic.	Honda Civic	1972–present	Over 27,000,000 up to 2021.[64]
Hyundai	Hyundai Elantra	Hyundai Elantra	1990–present	14,400,000 up to 2022.[65]
Jaguar	1972 Jaguar XJ12.	Jaguar XJ	1968–2019	800,000 up to 2005.[66]
Jeep	2000 Jeep Cherokee.	Jeep Cherokee (XJ)	1984–2014	2,884,172 in North America until 2001; production continued in China until 2005.[67]
Koenigsegg	Koenigsegg Jesko	Koenigsegg Jesko	2021–present	125.[68]
Lada/AvtoVAZ		Lada Riva VAZ-2105/04/07	1980–2014	13,500,000 until exports to Europe were discontinued in 1997. Production continues in Egypt.[69]
Lamborghini	2019 Lamborghini Urus	Lamborghini Urus	2018–present	over 20,000[70]
Lancia	2012 Lancia Ypsilon	Lancia Ypsilon	1996–present	over 870,000 to 2005.[71]
Land Rover		Series/Defender	1948–2016 2020–present	over 2,000,000 (approx)[72]
Lincoln	Lincoln Town Car.	Lincoln Town Car	1981–2011	Approximately 2,290,000 not counting 2005–2011. (Production of 2005–2011 is unknown, but a reasonable guess is about 160,000.)[54][73]
Lotus	Lotus Elise 111S.	Lotus Elise	1996–2021	over 35,000 produced over two generations to 2021.[74]
Maserati	Maserati Biturbo S.	Maserati Biturbo	1981–1994	Over 38,000[75]
Mazda	Mazda 323 Turbo.	Mazda Familia	1963–2003	Over 10,000,000 up to 1995.[76]
Mercedes-Benz	Merceds-Benz C-Class.	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	1993–present	6,900,000 to November 2006.[77]
Mitsubishi	Ninth-generation Mitsubishi Lancer.	Mitsubishi Lancer	1973–2017	Over 6,000,000 to the end of 2006.[78] Production continues in Taiwan and China
Nissan	1972 Datsun 1200.	Nissan Sunny/Sentra/Pulsar/Almera	1966–present	Over 15,900,000.[69] Ten generations, and four nameplates depending on marketplace.
Opel/Vauxhall	First generation Opel Corsa, sold in the United Kingdom as a Vauxhall Nova.	Opel Corsa	1982–present	Over 18,000,000 sold worldwide in 25 years and in four generations up to 2007. 10 million of them were sold only in Europe.[In Europe alone?][79] The best-selling car in the world in 1998, surpassing the Toyota Corolla with 910,839 sales, at that time being produced in four continents, and was sold under five marques with five different body styles.[80]
Perodua		Perodua Myvi	2005–present	1,400,000 since 2005 up to 2023.[81]
Peugeot	Peugeot 206.	Peugeot 206	1998–2013	Approximately 10,000,000 to 2018 in a single generation.[82]
Porsche		Porsche 911	1963–present	1,000,000 produced up to 2017.[83]
Proton	Proton Saga	Proton Saga	1985–present	1,900,000 since 1985.
Renault	Third generation Renault Clio.	Renault Clio	1990–present	12,300,000 across four generations up to 2013.[19]
Rolls-Royce	Rolls Royce Silver Shadow	Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow	1965–1980	29,030 produced over a single generation.[84]
SEAT	SEAT Ibiza Mk4 (2008).	SEAT Ibiza	1984–present	3,949,597 up to 2008.[34] The sales of the fourth generation of the SEAT Ibiza, as well as those of its derivatives (such as the SEAT Córdoba and the SEAT Inca, or the rebadged versions) are not included in the figures.
Smart	2004 Smart Fortwo	Smart Fortwo	1998–2024	Over 1,700,000 by early 2015.[85][86]
Subaru	Third generation Subaru Legacy.	Subaru Legacy	1988–2025	Over 3,600,000 to 2008.[87][88]
Škoda	Škoda Octavia 1st generation after facelift	Škoda Octavia	1996–present	Over 6,000,000 to 2016.[18]
Tatuus	Tatuus FR2000	Tatuus FR2000	2000–2007	Approximately 930 chassis.[89][90]
Toyota	A 1976 Toyota Corolla.	Toyota Corolla	1966–present	50,000,000 up to 2021[2]
Tesla	Tesla Model Y	Tesla Model Y	2020–present	2,160,000 up to December 2023[91]
Volkswagen	Mk.1 Volkswagen Golf.	Volkswagen Golf	1974–present	35,000,000 across seven generations by 2019.[92] Became Volkswagen's bestseller in 2002.[93]
Volvo	Volvo 240 sedan.	Volvo 200 Series	1974–1993	2,862,573 saloon, estate and coupé models over a spell of 19 years.[35]
ZAZ	Zaporozhets.	Zaporozhets	1960–1994	3,422,444.[94]

Defunct brands

Brand	Image	Automobile	Production	Units sold & notes
American Motors	AMC Hornet.	AMC Hornet	1970–1977	Approximately 860,000.[53][54]
Autobianchi	1973 Autobianchi A112 E.	Autobianchi A112	1969–1986	1,254,178.[95]
Checker	Checker Marathon.	Checker Marathon	1961–1982	10,559 not counting taxicabs and private sales for 1961–63, 1976 and 1980–82 (private sales for 1961–62, 1976 and 1980–82 are unknown).[53][54]
Continental	Continental Mark II.	Continental Mark II	1956–1957	3,012 (only car produced by the short lived Continental division of the Ford Motor Company).[53]
Crosley	1948 Crosley.	Crosley	1939–1942 1946–1949	62,210 before introduction of series names in 1950 (does not include 1949 Hot Shot).[53][96]
DeSoto	Dodge DeSoto Custom.	DeSoto Custom	1939–1942 1946–1952	Approximately 570,000.[53][96]
Eagle	Eagle Talon.	Eagle Talon	1990–1998	Approximately 200,000.[97]
Edsel	1959 Edsel Ranger.	Edsel Ranger	1958–1960	50,803.[53]
Excalibur	Excalibur Series II.	Excalibur Series II	1970–1982	2,230.[98]
Facel	1961 Facel Vega Facellia	Facellia	1960–1964	1,500[99]
Frazer		Frazer Standard	1947–1951	Approximately 90,000.[53]
FSO		FSO 125p	1967–1991	1,445,699[100]
Hudson	Hudson Super.	Hudson Super Six	1916–1928 1933 1940–1942 1946–1951	Approximately 600,000 not counting 1916–17 and 1940–42. (Production for 1916–17 and 1940–42 is unknown but a reasonable guess is about 80,000.)[53][96]
Imperial	1966 Imperial Crown convertible.	Imperial Crown	1957–1970	Approximately 127,000.[53]
Kaiser	Kaiser Deluxe	Kaiser Deluxe	1949–1953	Approximately 130,000.[53]
Mercury	1994-1997 Mercury Cougar XR7	Mercury Cougar	1967–1997 1999–2002	2,972,784, excludes Ford Cougar sold in Europe and Australia.
Messerschmitt	1955 Messerschmitt KR200.	Messerschmitt KR200	1955–1964	30,286
Metropolitan	1959 Metropolitan	Metropolitan	1958–1961	55,215 as a separate marque under AMC.[101]
Nash	Nash Statesman.	Nash Statesman	1950–1956	Approximately 340,000.[53]
Oldsmobile	Image:1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible.	Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme	1961–1999	11,900,000 across several platforms and generations.[102]
Packard	Packard Eight.	Packard Eight	1933–1936 1938 1942 1948–1950	Approximately 250,000.[53][96]
Peel	1965 Peel Trident.	Peel Trident	1965–1966	82 in a single generation.[103]
Plymouth		Plymouth Fury	1959–1978	Approximately 3,680,000 (counting VIPs, but not counting 1959 and 1962 Sport Furys and 1975–77 Gran Furys).[53][54]
Pontiac	2005 Pontiac Grand Am.	Pontiac Grand Am	1973–1975, 1978–1980, 1985–2005	Over 4,000,000.
Rambler	Rambler Classic.	Rambler Classic	1961–1966	Approximately 1,460,000 (including those produced in 1966 under AMC).[53][54]
Saab	1985 Saab 900CD.	Saab 900	1978–1993	908,810.[104] in the first generation.
Saturn	Saturn SL	Saturn S-Series	1991–2002	Approximately 2,210,000 not counting 2002 (sales of 2002 are unknown).[105]
Simca	Simca 1100.	Simca 1100	1967–1982	2,139,400, figures include a small number of complete knock down (CKD) kits and commercial versions.[106]
Studebaker	Studebaker Champion.	Studebaker Champion	1939–1942 1946–1958	Approximately 1,320,000.[53][96]
Trabant	1983 Trabant P601.	Trabant 601	1957–1991	Over 3,000,000.[107]
Willys	1936 Willys 77.	Willys 77	1933–1936	Approximately 68,000.[108]
Zastava	Zastava 101.	Zastava 101	1971-2008	1,045,458

Class bestsellers

Class	Image	Automobile	Production	Units sold	Notes
All-electric car	Tesla Model 3.	Tesla Model Y	2020–present	2,160,000 up to December 2023[91]	Became the first electric vehicle to be the world's bestselling car in 2023.[109]
Full-size car	1958 Chevrolet Impala.	Chevrolet Impala	1958–1985 1994–1996 2000–2020	Over 13,000,000 between its introduction and 1996.[55]	The bestselling car in America in a single year, with 1,046,514 sold in 1965 including the Impala SS.[53]
Hybrid electric vehicle	2017 Toyota Prius	Toyota Prius	1997–present	5,000,000 in four generations up to September 2022.[110] Combined sales of the Prius family nameplate totaled over 6,000,000 units in January 2017.[111]	The world's all-time best selling hybrid electric vehicle.[112]
Hydrogen fuel cell car	Toyota Mirai	Toyota Mirai	2015–present	26,260 units sold by early 2024 in the United States, Japan, some European markets and the United Arab Emirates.[113]
Pickup truck	Ford F-150 SVT Lightning.	Ford F-Series	1948–present	Over 34,000,000 America's bestselling vehicle for 28 consecutive years;[60] 33,900,000 in 12 generations to May 2010.[60]	World's bestselling truck for 43 consecutive years.[114]
Plug-in hybrid	Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV.	BYD Song DM SUV series	2017–present	Over 1,050,000 in December 2023 since inception.[115][116][117]	The world's all-time best-selling plug-in hybrid car. It surpassed the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in 2021.
Full-size luxury car	Cadillac De Ville.	Cadillac De Ville	1959–2005	Approximately 3,870,000 excluding early Series 62 hardtops, 1981–1988, 1991–93, and 2000–05. (Total production for 1981–1988, 1991–93 and 2000–05 is unknown but a good guess is over 1,300,000.)[53][54]
Racing car	Porsche 992 GT3 Cup of 2023 Porsche Supercup champion, Bastian Buus	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	1990–present	5,000th on November 28, 2022.[118][119]	Also accounting for the 911 Carrera Cup produced between 1990 through to 1997. PistonHeads claimed sales went back to the introduction of the GT3 in 1998.[120][121]
Formula racing car	Tatuus FR2000	Tatuus FR2000	2000–2007	Approximately 930 chassis.[89][90]
Rotary engined car	A first-generation Mazda RX-7.	Mazda RX-7	1978–2002	811,634 in three generations to 2005.[122]
Single-cylinder car	BMW Isetta.	Iso/BMW/VELAM/Romi Isetta	1953–1961	161,728 in all variations[123]
Four-seat sports car (Pony car)	First 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang	Ford Mustang	1964–present	10,000,000 in six generations up to 2018.[124]
Two-seat coupe Sports car		Nissan Z-car	1969–1999 2003–present	1,535,000 in five generations up to 2005.[125]
Two-seat convertible sports car		Mazda MX-5	1989–present	Over 940,000 in the first two generations to June 2014.[126]	Verified by the Guinness Book of Records as the bestselling two-seater, convertible (open top) sports car in history.[126]
Van		Volkswagen Type 2 (Transporter)	1950–present	Over 12,000,000 in six generations to August 2015[127]	Best-selling van nameplate of all-time.[127] Second-generation T2 sold for 46 years (1967–2013), longest production run of any van and second-longest production of any Volkswagen (except for Type 1 Beetle).

Fastest-selling

Class	Image	Automobile	Production	Units sold	Notes
Any car	Baojun 510	Baojun 510	2017–present	416,883 sold in its first 12 months in the market.[49]	February 2017 – January 2018
	Baojun 510	Ford Fairmont	1977–1983	Previous record holder, 405,780 sold in its first 12 months in the market.[49]	1978
All-electric car	Baojun 510	BYD Seagull	2023–present	364,986 sold in its first 12 months in the market.[128][129]	April 2023 – March 2024
	Baojun 510	Wuling Hongguang Mini EV	2020–present	Previous record holder, 328,929 sold in its first 12 months in the market.[130][131]	August 2020 – July 2021

See also

• List of automobile sales by model
• Automotive industry
• List of automotive superlatives