Prime 10 best-selling automobiles within the U.S. in 2023

DETROIT – America maintained its love affair with pickup vans in 2023 — however a top-selling car from Toyota Motor practically ruined their tailgate get together.

Gross sales of the Toyota RAV4 compact crossover got here inside 10,000 items of Stellantis‘ Ram pickup truck final yr, a near-No. 3 rating that may have marked the primary time since 2014 {that a} non-pickup claimed one of many prime three U.S. gross sales podium positions.

The RAV4 has quickly closed the hole: In 2020, the car undersold the Ram truck by greater than 133,000 items. Final yr, it lagged by simply 9,983. Stellantis offered 444,926 Ram pickups final yr, a 5% decline from 2022.

“Vehicles are at all times on the prime as a result of they’re purchased by not solely people, but additionally fleet consumers and we noticed heavy fleet shopping for final yr,” mentioned Michelle Krebs, an govt analyst at Cox Automotive. “The RAV4 reveals that individuals need reasonably priced, smaller SUVs, and the truth that there’s additionally a hybrid model of that makes it fashionable with folks.”

At 750,789 items offered, Ford Motor’s F-Sequence pickups, which embody the F-150 and its bigger siblings, led the business for the 42^nd consecutive yr. They had been adopted by General Motors’ Chevrolet Silverado pickup with gross sales of 543,780 items.

Rounding out the highest 5 had been the RAV4 at 434,943 items offered and the Tesla Mannequin Y at 394,497, based on knowledge and gross sales estimates from Motor Intelligence. (Tesla doesn’t disclose regional gross sales by car.) The Mannequin Y moved up one position within the rankings in contrast with 2022.

The success of the RAV4 is notable. It aligns with Toyota’s growing lead as America’s second bestselling automaker, behind GM however outselling Ford annually since 2020.

Toyota first overtook Ford throughout the coronavirus pandemic and has continued to extend its gross sales lead since, outpacing the Detroit automaker by greater than 250,000 items in 2023.

The Japanese automaker additionally notably bested GM to change into the country’s top-selling automaker for the primary time ever in 2021 amid main manufacturing and provide chain disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. GM has since reclaimed its crown and outsold Toyota by tons of of 1000’s of automobiles in 2022 and 2023.

Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds, mentioned the RAV4 in addition to the Honda CR-V, which ranked sixth final yr in gross sales, provide one thing fully totally different than American pickups: Small, economical automobiles that match many American’s existence and budgets amid excessive rates of interest and financial uncertainty.

“It is all these different issues that we have skilled all through the final yr that type of power folks into sensible purchases,” he mentioned. “I believe these automobiles communicate to probably the most sensible buy you should purchase.”

New car gross sales had been stronger and extra constant than anticipated all through 2023, notching the business’s finest yr of sales since 2019.

Motor Intelligence reviews automakers offered 15.6 million automobiles within the U.S. in 2023, a 12.3% improve from 2022. That compares with greater than 17 million automobiles offered in 2019 earlier than the coronavirus pandemic upending the worldwide auto market.

December gross sales, which had been reported this week, had been surprisingly sturdy, as automakers upped incentive spending to maneuver merchandise.

Auto gross sales to finish the yr elevated 13% in contrast with December 2022, greater than double some analyst forecasts.

Automotive analysts and forecasters expect sales this year to be between roughly 15.6 million and 16.1 million automobiles. GM mentioned Wednesday it expects the industry to hit 16 million items offered in 2024.

Listed below are the ten bestselling automobiles within the U.S. by unit gross sales for 2023, based on Motor Intelligence.