Toyota RAV4 wins international popularity contest

The Toyota RAV4 has been recognized by JATO Dynamics as the world’s best-selling vehicle of 2024.

According to the calculations performed by JATO Dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz, the Japanese SUV wrestled the leadership from the Tesla Model Y last year. It was a narrow victory, but an important one considering that the Tesla was the undisputed market leader back in 2023.

In the past year, the international demand for the RAV4 grew by 11%. In absolute terms, it translated into roughly 1,187,000 worldwide sales. The Model Y sank by 3% and found 1,185,000 buyers. Munoz points out that the old-generation RAV4 was on its way out in 2024, so many buyers were waiting for the next generation to arrive. Even so, it somehow managed to surpass the Model Y.

The Toyota Corolla Cross a.k.a. Frontlander landed on the third position with an 18% annual growth and 859,000 units sold. The Honda CR-V demonstrated a 1% growth but still scored 854,000 units sold. Wrapping up the top-five is yet another Toyota: the Corolla sedan lost 11% of its popularity from 2023, but still managed to move 697,000 units.

Toyota Hilux, Ford F-150, Toyota Camry, Tesla Model 3 and BYD Qin ranked from sixth to tenth on the popularity list. The first three saw a minor decline in sales year-on-year, while the last two saw a slight bump. The Hilux also ended up bring the last year’s most desirable pickup truck.

 In his report, Felipe Munoz points out that the numbers he collected encompassed 153 regional markets across the world, or 99% of the entire market.