Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles worldwide in the third quarter of 2026, according to the quarterly figures it published on 2 October. That is 1.3% more than the 480,126 of the second quarter and 2.1% fewer than the 497,099 of the third quarter of 2025.
Tesla production and deliveries by model
The Model 3 and Model Y accounted for 478,237 deliveries; Tesla’s other models, reported as a single line, added 8,295. Production was 464,391 (457,387 Model 3 and Model Y, 7,004 others), so about 22,000 more cars were delivered than were built.
The total came in above the analyst consensus of 461,974 that Tesla compiles and publishes itself. The energy business deployed 13.7 GWh of storage, up from 12.5 GWh a year earlier. Full third-quarter results are due on 21 October.
The gap between BYD and Tesla in battery-electric cars
BYD sold 762,478 battery-electric passenger cars in the same quarter, 30.9% more than a year earlier, according to CnEVPost’s tally of BYD’s monthly figures. BYD’s plug-in hybrids are not included.
| Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla deliveries | 480,126 | 486,532 |
| BYD battery-electric sales | 557,090 | 762,478 |
| Difference | 76,964 | 275,946 |
BYD’s battery-electric volume grew 36.9% from the second quarter; Tesla’s grew 1.3%. The two figures are counted differently: Tesla reports deliveries to customers, while BYD’s monthly numbers are sales.
