Toyota Corolla

Toyota's Corolla passed 50 million sales worldwide in 2021, across twelve generations since its 1966 debut. No other single car name has sold more.

Sales are company-reported, so treat the total as an estimate.

Context

Toyota introduced the Corolla in Japan in 1966, aiming for an affordable family car, and later sold it in more than 150 countries and regions. Over the decades the name has covered sedans, hatchbacks, wagons and other body styles, and the cars sold under it have changed a great deal from one generation to the next.

The 50 million milestone was announced by Toyota in 2021 and counts all Corollas sold worldwide since the beginning. The figure comes from the company itself, which is why it is labelled an estimate here.

The comparison depends on counting by nameplate. The Ford F-Series pickup and the Volkswagen Golf are often named as rivals, and the Volkswagen Beetle, counted as one design, sold about 21 million, but rankings depend on how each is counted. Different bodies also count related models, such as the Corolla Cross, in different ways, so exact totals vary between sources. The Corolla has been among the top sellers in most years since the 1970s, which is how the total built up to such a large number.