Tesla Tops Imported Car Sales in May 2025
Model Y Sells Over 6,000 Units Amid Electric Vehicle Market Slowdown
Mercedes-Benz and BMW Follow in Second and Third Place
Rear-Wheel Drive Model Y Gains Popularity with Competitive Pricing
Imported Car Market Sees 16.4% Growth Year-on-Year
Tesla ranked first in imported car sales in May. In a situation where the electric vehicle chasm (a temporary stagnation in demand) is persisting, it is considered a significant achievement that a single imported electric vehicle model sold over 6,000 units in a month.
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on June 5, Tesla sold 6,570 vehicles in the imported car market in May 2025, securing the top spot in the industry. This is the first time Tesla has ranked first in monthly imported car sales since the association began including Tesla in its statistics in 2024.
Mercedes-Benz came in second with 6,415 units sold, followed by BMW with 6,405 units, Porsche with 1,192 units, and Lexus with 1,134 units.
By best-selling model, Tesla's Model Y sold the most with 6,237 units, followed by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class with 2,317 units, and the BMW 5 Series with 2,092 units.
In particular, in the imported electric vehicle market in May, Tesla's Model Y ranked first with 6,237 units sold, while BYD's Atto 3 came in second with 513 units.
Tesla Korea sells the Model Y in two trims in the domestic market: rear-wheel drive and long range. In particular, the rear-wheel drive Model Y is equipped with an LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery from China's CATL, which enhances its price competitiveness.
The rear-wheel drive Model Y is priced more than 10 million won lower than the Model Y Long Range, which uses an NCM (nickel cobalt manganese) battery. With a factory price of 52.99 million won, the rear-wheel drive Model Y can be purchased for as low as the upper 40 million won range after applying domestic electric vehicle subsidies (actual price varies by region).
Meanwhile, total sales in the imported car market in May reached 28,189 units, up 16.4% compared to the same month last year. KAIDA Vice Chairman Jung Yoonyoung explained, "New registrations of imported passenger cars in May increased compared to the previous month due to stable supply for some brands and the launch of new models."
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