4 Companies You Won't Believe Have A Smaller Market Cap Than Tesla

As Tesla Inc TSLA continues its meteoric rise, its swelling market cap has pushed it far passed the bounds of other automakers. As S&P 500 inclusion looks increasingly likely, Tesla is being valued more and more like a tech stock.

As of July 7, Tesla sports a market cap of $257.6 billion. In fact, here are four companies Tesla recently passed in market cap value.

Disney: When it comes to entertainment, not many are better than Walt Disney Co DIS. But if you've ever driven in a Tesla, you'll know it's one of the most fun things you can buy. On top of the driving experience, a Tesla car also offers entertainment options such as karaoke, video games and even Disney+.

Market cap as of July 7: $205 billion.

Netflix: Netflix, Inc. NFLX has seen massive gains itself, up more than 30% in the past year.

Owning a Tesla vehicle allows you to enjoy Netflix in your car, as well as shows from Hulu, Amazon Prime and other media platforms. Tesla also brings the entertainment up another notch, offering in-car gaming.

Market cap as of July 7: $217 billion.

Nvidia: Tesla recently dropped Nvidia Corporation's NVDA self-driving chip in favor of its own self-built silicon. This is a similar move that Apple Inc AAPL just made when it ditched Intel.

If Tesla were to be the first to develop the silicon needed to power true autonomous driving, this would open a huge revenue stream, in terms of offering autonomous rides, or even licensing out the chip.

Market cap as of July 7: $243 billion.

Intel: In a similar vein to Nvidia, Tesla just inched past Intel Corp INTC. It's particularly interesting as Tesla's first self-driving computer chip was more powerful than anything offered from either Intel or Nvidia when it came to autonomous driving.

Market cap as of July 7: $246 billion.

Benzinga's Take: When compared to some of these well-known brands, Tesla's valuation may seem high. But when considering the potential software sales, Full Self Driving subscription service, in-app downloadable purchases, solar and battery sales, things start to make at least a little more sense.

Tesla's continued growth with increasing deliveries, a new factory pumping out cars in China, a new factory being constructed in Germany, and soon more factories in the U.S. making Cybertrucks, Tesla's valuation may give it more room to run.