Tesla vehicle registrations totaled 230,855 through the first three quarters of the year, passing Mercedes with 213,708, Experian data showed.
But Tesla surged in September.
In addition to its current lineup of two sedans and two crossovers, Tesla plans to launch the Cybertruck pickup next year from a new plant in Texas, and it has a massive bank of preorders.
Tesla has also been steadily raising prices, often sharply and abruptly.
“There are no cars to sell in a Mercedes dealership right now,” said Womack, dealer principal of Mercedes-Benz of Billings in Montana.