Benchmark research · Tesla
ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed TSLA (Tesla)
Any investment can look great over a single hand-picked timeframe. To find what truly kept ahead of TSLA (Tesla, Inc.), we screened TSLA against the entire market of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs across 8 different time windows from 1 month to 10 years, including reinvested dividends. A contender had to come out ahead in both the short term and the long term to make the list. Data as of October 22, 2026.
Compare the entire market against TSLA live →Key findings
- How hard it was to top TSLA: Outperforming Tesla was possible but not common. Of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs screened, 250 of 958 eligible ETFs (26%) and 404 of 1,501 eligible stocks (27%) outperformed in a majority of both the short-term and long-term timeframes. No ETFs were all-weather, while 2 stocks were all-weather and 1 outperformed in every period.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
- Popular alternatives: NVDA, AAPL, VGT, XLK, and SPY cleared the bar. NVDA outperformed in 3 of 5 short-term and 3 of 3 long-term periods, while AAPL outperformed in 5 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term periods. MSFT fell short with 5 of 5 short-term but 1 of 3 long-term periods, and ARKK had 4 of 5 short-term and 1 of 3 long-term periods.
- Top ETFs: Broad-market funds led the top group, accounting for 10 of the 15 shown. CIBR and HACK, both cybersecurity funds, and the broad-market ETFs ESG and WTV stood out for outperforming in 5 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term periods. No ETFs met the all-weather rule.
- Top stocks: 404 stocks made the cut. The top stocks shown include NTRA in healthcare, DELL in technology, and NVDA and AMD in semiconductors. NTRA and DELL were among the 2 all-weather stocks.
- The risk trade-off: Over the 5 years measured, all 15 top ETFs were less volatile than TSLA and had higher Sharpe ratios, a measure of return per unit of risk. Among the top 10 stocks shown, 9 were less volatile and all 10 had higher Sharpe ratios. The median volatility was 16.7% for the ETFs and 53.3% for the stocks, compared with 60.0% for TSLA.
How popular alternatives compare
Well-known funds and stocks investors often compare against TSLA, sorted by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term.
| Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | ||
| TSLA Tesla, Inc. (benchmark) | — | −1.1% | +0.2% | −3.3% | −14.5% | −14.7% | +76.6% | +23.5% | +2,671% | 60.0% | 0.37 |
| NVDA Made the listNVIDIA Corporation | 3/5 short3/3 long | −7.3% | +0.2% | +5.0% | +12.6% | +18.0% | +395% | +839% | +12,166% | 51.9%0.9× TSLA | 1.12 |
| AAPL Made the listApple Inc. | 5/5 short2/3 long | +2.5% | +6.9% | +27.7% | +28.8% | +35.2% | +104% | +140% | +1,194% | 28.0%0.5× TSLA | 0.77 |
| VGT Made the listVanguard Information Technology ETF | 4/5 short2/3 long | −6.1% | +2.7% | +15.4% | +25.9% | +26.7% | +135% | +130% | +753% | 26.1%0.4× TSLA | 0.77 |
| XLK Made the listState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 4/5 short2/3 long | −7.1% | +1.3% | +15.6% | +26.8% | +28.4% | +126% | +139% | +741% | 26.1%0.4× TSLA | 0.80 |
| AMZN Made the listAmazon.com, Inc. | 4/5 short2/3 long | −1.8% | +2.3% | −1.9% | +10.5% | +14.9% | +97.8% | +50.1% | +498% | 36.6%0.6× TSLA | 0.41 |
| SPY Made the listState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 4/5 short2/3 long | −1.2% | +2.5% | +8.0% | +12.7% | +15.6% | +88.4% | +80.3% | +316% | 17.2%0.3× TSLA | 0.78 |
| QQQ Made the listInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 3/5 short2/3 long | −5.8% | 0.0% | +7.8% | +15.3% | +16.9% | +101% | +94.0% | +531% | 23.0%0.4× TSLA | 0.69 |
| GM Made the listGeneral Motors Company | 3/5 short2/3 long | −7.5% | −5.8% | −1.9% | −4.0% | +15.7% | +172% | +39.5% | +182% | 36.7%0.6× TSLA | 0.36 |
| MSFT Fell shortMicrosoft Corporation | 5/5 short1/3 long | +4.6% | +33.7% | +20.9% | +10.9% | +0.9% | +61.9% | +75.6% | +862% | 28.2%0.5× TSLA | 0.54 |
| ARKK Fell shortARK Innovation ETF | 4/5 short1/3 long | −10.6% | +7.7% | +3.2% | +4.5% | −4.1% | +127% | −29.3% | +329% | 46.9%0.8× TSLA | 0.09 |
| XLY Fell shortState Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF | 4/5 short1/3 long | +2.4% | +1.1% | −2.9% | −2.2% | −2.3% | +55.3% | +24.5% | +218% | 24.1%0.4× TSLA | 0.30 |
| PYPL Fell shortPayPal Holdings, Inc. | 4/5 short0/3 long | +8.8% | +3.9% | +13.0% | −0.2% | −14.5% | +8.8% | −75.8% | +32.6% | 43.2%0.7× TSLA | -0.44 |
| F Fell shortFord Motor Company | 2/5 short0/3 long | −8.9% | −16.3% | −3.3% | −7.4% | +0.5% | +25.4% | −0.3% | +65.8% | 39.2%0.7× TSLA | 0.20 |
| RIVN Fell shortRivian Automotive, Inc. | 1/5 short0/3 long | −20.3% | −29.8% | −32.0% | −37.9% | −6.7% | −29.3% | — | — | — | — |
ETFs that consistently outperformed TSLA
Top 15 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Green cells outperformed TSLA in that period. Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Fund | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Expense | Assets | |||
| — | TSLA Tesla, Inc. (benchmark) | — | −1.1% | +0.2% | −3.3% | −14.5% | −14.7% | +76.6% | +23.5% | +2,671% | 60.0% | 0.37 | ||
| 1 | GBTC CryptoGrayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF | 3/5 short3/3 long | −5.7% | +23.0% | +2.4% | −10.4% | −25.7% | +154% | +28.9% | +6,992% | 59.6%1.0× TSLA | 0.38 | 1.50% | $10B |
| 2 | CIBR TechnologyFirst Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +0.2% | +15.1% | +49.3% | +45.8% | +35.2% | +134% | +96.7% | +461% | 26.2%0.4× TSLA | 0.65 | 0.58% | $17B |
| 3 | HACK TechnologyAmplify Cybersecurity ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +0.6% | +15.7% | +51.5% | +54.8% | +42.0% | +142% | +87.4% | +381% | 25.8%0.4× TSLA | 0.62 | 0.60% | $3.3B |
| 4 | BNO CommoditiesUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP | 5/5 short2/3 long | +19.0% | +34.0% | +36.4% | +144% | +139% | +118% | +205% | +359% | 37.1%0.6× TSLA | 0.79 | 1.15% | $768M |
| 5 | CRAK EnergyVanEck Oil Refiners ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +0.5% | +15.8% | +36.4% | +69.7% | +74.3% | +118% | +143% | +325% | 20.9%0.3× TSLA | 0.96 | 0.61% | $810M |
| 6 | ESG Broad MarketNorthern Trust STOXX US ESG Select ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | −0.1% | +3.8% | +11.5% | +15.9% | +18.9% | +82.3% | +73.9% | +312% | 16.7%0.3× TSLA | 0.75 | 0.33% | $136M |
| 7 | WTV Broad MarketWisdomTree U.S. Value Fund | 5/5 short2/3 long | +2.9% | +3.5% | +11.1% | +16.8% | +20.7% | +92.0% | +89.0% | +306% | 17.0%0.3× TSLA | 0.84 | 0.12% | $3.2B |
| 8 | EQWL Broad MarketInvesco S&P 100 Equal Weight ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +0.9% | +3.1% | +10.2% | +13.4% | +16.1% | +83.1% | +73.9% | +294% | 15.0%0.2× TSLA | 0.82 | 0.30% | $2.8B |
| 9 | GSLC Broad MarketGoldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | −0.6% | +3.1% | +7.8% | +11.3% | +13.9% | +82.8% | +71.7% | +293% | 16.7%0.3× TSLA | 0.73 | 0.09% | $15B |
| 10 | FNDX Broad MarketSchwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +2.3% | +4.2% | +12.3% | +21.0% | +26.2% | +90.0% | +89.3% | +292% | 14.9%0.2× TSLA | 0.93 | 0.25% | $28B |
| 11 | FVAL Broad MarketFidelity Value Factor ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +0.5% | +4.2% | +11.4% | +15.7% | +21.7% | +87.0% | +80.7% | +290% | 16.4%0.3× TSLA | 0.81 | 0.15% | $1.4B |
| 12 | FQAL Broad MarketFidelity Quality Factor ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +0.2% | +3.7% | +9.2% | +12.9% | +15.6% | +80.7% | +71.2% | +288% | 16.2%0.3× TSLA | 0.75 | 0.15% | $1.4B |
| 13 | RWL Broad MarketInvesco S&P 500 Revenue ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +3.2% | +4.5% | +12.2% | +18.9% | +23.3% | +85.7% | +90.3% | +287% | 14.4%0.2× TSLA | 0.97 | 0.39% | $10B |
| 14 | FNDB Broad MarketSchwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +2.2% | +3.5% | +11.5% | +20.3% | +25.4% | +88.0% | +85.4% | +285% | 15.1%0.3× TSLA | 0.90 | 0.25% | $1.5B |
| 15 | VLU Broad MarketState Street SPDR S&P 1500 Value Tilt ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +1.2% | +2.5% | +8.7% | +17.9% | +22.9% | +86.3% | +79.5% | +274% | 15.2%0.3× TSLA | 0.85 | 0.12% | $781M |
Stocks that consistently outperformed TSLA
Top 10 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Individual stocks swing far more than funds; check the volatility column.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Company | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Market cap | |||
| — | TSLA Tesla, Inc. (benchmark) | — | −1.1% | +0.2% | −3.3% | −14.5% | −14.7% | +76.6% | +23.5% | +2,671% | 60.0% | 0.37 | |
| 1 | NTRA Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchNatera, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +2.7% | +51.9% | +93.2% | +75.4% | +113% | +901% | +249% | +3,934% | 57.6%1.0× TSLA | 0.73 | $58B |
| 2 | DELL Computer HardwareDell Technologies Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −17.4% | +2.7% | +112% | +258% | +205% | +622% | +761% | +3,613% | 54.5%0.9× TSLA | 1.06 | $288B |
| 3 | NVDA SemiconductorsNVIDIA Corporation | 3/5 short3/3 long | −7.3% | +0.2% | +5.0% | +12.6% | +18.0% | +395% | +839% | +12,166% | 51.9%0.9× TSLA | 1.12 | $5.1T |
| 4 | AMD SemiconductorsAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 3/5 short3/3 long | −18.6% | −8.0% | +67.4% | +127% | +121% | +408% | +324% | +7,146% | 57.7%1.0× TSLA | 0.79 | $829B |
| 5 | MU SemiconductorsMicron Technology, Inc. | 3/5 short3/3 long | −21.9% | −10.7% | +75.8% | +172% | +332% | +1,193% | +1,199% | +5,050% | 57.1%1.0× TSLA | 1.19 | $969B |
| 6 | SHOP Software - ApplicationShopify Inc. | 5/5 short2/3 long | +14.3% | +42.6% | +27.9% | +7.4% | +4.2% | +231% | +18.4% | +3,745% | 66.9%1.1× TSLA | 0.38 | $219B |
| 7 | BWLP Marine ShippingBW LPG Limited | 5/5 short2/3 long | +1.2% | +20.7% | +46.1% | +116% | +129% | +232% | +966% | +2,648% | 50.9%0.8× TSLA | 1.19 | $3.8B |
| 8 | MEDP Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchMedpace Holdings, Inc. | 5/5 short2/3 long | +3.8% | +23.8% | +28.6% | +14.5% | +19.6% | +187% | +250% | +2,003% | 52.1%0.9× TSLA | 0.73 | $18B |
| 9 | LLY Drug Manufacturers - GeneralEli Lilly and Company | 5/5 short2/3 long | +11.7% | +12.5% | +42.3% | +21.5% | +61.9% | +131% | +461% | +1,870% | 32.8%0.5× TSLA | 1.22 | $1.2T |
| 10 | COKE Beverages - Non-AlcoholicCoca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. | 5/5 short2/3 long | +12.5% | +16.7% | +15.1% | +44.1% | +67.4% | +257% | +468% | +1,564% | 38.0%0.6× TSLA | 1.11 | $14B |
What stands out
The winners came from a mix of areas, but technology was prominent among the stocks, including semiconductor companies NVDA, AMD, and MU. The ETF leaders were more varied: broad-market funds made up most of the top group, alongside technology, crypto, commodities, and energy funds. This was not just a recent pattern for every standout. NVDA outperformed in all 3 long-term periods, while CIBR and HACK cleared the consistency bar with 2 of 3 long-term periods.
The results also show how few investments stayed ahead in every window: no ETF did, and only 2 stocks were all-weather. In the 5-year risk comparison, the top ETFs had lower median volatility and higher median Sharpe ratios than TSLA. The top stocks also had a lower median volatility, and all had higher Sharpe ratios. These figures suggest that the selected winners generally delivered stronger risk-adjusted returns over that period, though past performance does not establish what comes next.
Methodology
- Short-term periods: 1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y. Long-term periods: 3Y, 5Y, 10Y. An investment outperformed a period when its total return, with dividends reinvested, was higher than TSLA's. Returns within 0.5 points or 3% of TSLA's (whichever is larger) count as a tie and are shown in gray.
- Consistent means outperforming in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, so a recent hot streak alone is not enough. All-weather means outperforming in every long-term period and all but one short-term period. Rankings use long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then the 10Y return.
- Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
- Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over 5 years. The Sharpe ratio is return above cash divided by volatility over the same period: higher means more return per unit of risk.
- Returns and risk figures are computed from daily adjusted prices and update with each market day. Past performance does not predict future results.