2 Things Every Tesla Investor Needs to Know

With a $1.2 trillion market cap, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is the largest electric vehicle (EV) stock in the world. And 2026 could be a pivotal year for the company. CEO Elon Musk recently made a bold prediction for one of Tesla's most exciting divisions. But before you jump in, there are two things every investor must know about this promising growth stock.

1. Competition for EVs is heating up

Tesla is known for many things: solar rooftops, self-driving vehicles, robotic humanoids. But when it comes down to simple dollars and cents, electric car sales remain the company's biggest financial mover. Roughly 80% of the company's sales still come from EVs. More than 90% of EV sales, meanwhile, come from just two models: the Model Y and the Model 3.

In a nutshell, these two models influence a majority of Tesla's financial situation when it comes to sales and profits. It's no surprise that these models are also Tesla's cheapest options, with prices for both starting below $50,000.

For years, Tesla has dominated the cheaper end of the EV sales spectrum. The Model Y and Model 3 have been the top two EV models industrywide for many years. But in 2026, competition could heat up significantly. More than a dozen new EV models are expected to debut next year, with several key models expected to be priced under $50,000. EV competitor Rivian Automotive, for example, is expected to begin production on up to three new models priced under that critical threshold.

For years, EV buyers have flocked to Tesla's cheaper models due to a lack of meaningful competition. But next year, we could see sales pressure on Tesla's best-selling models. That's a concern considering Tesla's sales growth already stagnated in 2025. But all of this won't matter if Tesla can execute on the major growth opportunity outlined below.

Image source: Tesla.

2. Tesla investors are betting it all on robotaxis

Tesla stock trades at an astounding 15 times sales. Rivian, for comparison, trades at just 3 times sales. There are many reasons for this valuation discount. But the biggest factor is likely Tesla's opportunity to grow as a robotaxi provider. Some analysts think that the robotaxi market could eventually be worth $5 trillion to $10 trillion. And by many accounts, Tesla is in the driver's seat for growth, competing only with a handful of other robotaxi ventures run by the likes of Alphabet and Uber Technologies.

Few companies are as well positioned as Tesla to profit from the robotaxi division. That's due to Tesla's vertically integrated approach. Alphabet -- the parent company of Google -- has been running its autonomous driving division, Waymo, since 2009. Over that time period, Waymo has built up an impressive amount of real-world driving data, resulting in its ability to offer truly autonomous taxi services in certain metropolitan areas. Here's the problem: Waymo doesn't manufacture its own vehicles. Neither does Uber. Tesla, on the other hand, does. This is a huge advantage for several reasons.

First, Tesla can likely scale faster than the competition. It controls its own supply chain for vehicles, leading to faster and more controlled production. Second, given this direct control, Tesla can more quickly and effectively adapt its technology. Third, Tesla can operate at a lower cost than the competition due to this vertical integration. This would allow it to either generate a higher gross margin or pass those savings on to consumers to fuel faster adoption of its robotaxi service.

Musk, known for his optimistic predictions, believes Tesla could produce 2 million to 3 million Cybercabs in 2026. If true, Tesla would almost certainly be the market leader to start this multidecade growth opportunity. I have questioned how realistic Musk's claims are, but one thing is for sure: Investors must be very bullish on Tesla's robotaxi ambitions in order to justify the stock's current valuation.

Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Tesla, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.