→→ Latest USA Car Sales (2026 Q1, 2025-2018)

2026 (Q1) USA: Top Light Vehicle and Car Manufacturers and Brands

USA · April 13, 2026 · Henk Bekker

In the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, GM, Toyota, and Ford were the top light vehicle manufacturers in the USA, with Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, and Honda the top-selling car brands.

Toyota was the top-selling car brand in the USA in 2026 (Q1)
Toyota was the top-selling car brand in the USA in 2026 (Q1) © Toyota

2026 (January to March): the US market for light vehicles, including passenger cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans, contracted 7.5% to just over 3.65 million vehicle sales in the USA. The largest light vehicle manufacturing groups in the US in 2026 (Q1) were GM, Toyota, Ford, Honda, and the FCA (Stellantis) groups. The best-selling car brands were Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, and Honda.

  • The top-selling models in the USA in 2026 (Q1): the Ford F-Series was the top-selling vehicle model, but the Honda CR-V outsold the Toyota RAV4 as the best-selling SUV, while the Camry remained America’s favorite sedan passenger car model. 

Largest Light Vehicle and Car Manufacturing Groups in the USA in 2026 (Q1)

The ten largest light vehicle car manufacturing conglomerates in the USA in 2026 (Q1) were as follows:

RManufacturerSales Q1/2026Sales Q1/2025% Q1 26/25Sales 2025 (FY)
1GM626,429693,363-9.72,853,299
2Toyota569,420570,270-0.12,518,071
3Ford457,315501,291-92,204,124
4American Honda336,830351,577-4.21,430,577
5FCA305,902293,2254.01,260,344
6Nissan247,068267,085-7.5926,153
8Hyundai205,388203,5541.0901,686
7Kia207,015198,8504.1852,155
9Subaru141,944166,957-14.9643,591
10Mazda94,472110,315-14.4410,346

NOTE: Data as published by manufacturers and tabulated just for general information and fun. Definitions of sales, deliveries, etc., may differ widely. E.g., what is included in sales here might be deliveries rather than actual final sales to consumers or registrations. Excludes Tesla, which probably sold around 103,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2026 in the USA. The Volkswagen Group brands operate separately in the USA, but VW + Audi + Porsche sales combined were 120,206 (from 149,509 in 2025 Q1).

GM remained the largest vehicle producer in the USA during the first quarter of 2026, but sales were nearly a tenth lower than at the start of 2025. Third-placed Ford similarly had sales down by almost a tenth.

Second-placed Toyota had flat sales and remained the largest automotive brand in the USA in the first three months of 2026. American Honda sales were down 4%, while FCA sales were up. Of the largest vehicle manufacturers, only Kia improved sales more.

Top-Selling Car Brands in the USA in 2026 (Q1)

The 20 top-selling light vehicle car brands in the USA in 2026 (Q1) were:

RBrandSales Q1/2026Sales Q1/2025% Q1 26/25Sales 2025 (Full Year)
1Toyota488,468487,2270.32,147,811
2Ford433,705477,560-92,097,256
3Chevrolet407,747443,564-8.11,829,235
4Honda304,478320,811-5.11,297,144
5Nissan234,318253,920-7.7873,307
6Hyundai205,388203,5541.0901,686
7GMC145,930146,220-0.2652,394
8Jeep144,552140,5833.0593,401
9Subaru141,944166,957-14.9643,591
10Ram112,16093,36820.0431,670
11Mazda94,472110,315-14.4410,346
12BMW84,23187,625-3.9388,897
13Lexus80,95283,043-2.5370,260
14Mercedes-Benz78,500NA-3303,200
15Volkswagen73.80387.915-16.1329,813
16Buick41,65461,822-32.6198,155
17Acura32,35230,7665.2133,433
18Cadillac31,09841,757-25.2173,515
19Audi29,88642,710-30164,942
20Mitsibishi26,88431,637-15.094,754
21Chrysler25,43235,069-28.0126,373

NOTE: Data as published by manufacturers and tabulated just for general information and fun. Definitions of sales, deliveries, etc., may differ widely. Excludes Tesla, which probably sold around 103,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2026 in the USA.

Toyota easily maintained its position as the top-selling car brand in the USA in the first quarter of 2026. Although sales volume was only 0.3% higher, they marked the highest first quarter for Toyota ever.

Sales of most car brands in the US were lower in 2026 Q1, as vehicle sales were strong in early 2025, when many buyers brought forward purchases due to the uncertainty of tariffs.

Ford, Chevrolet, and Nissan sales in the US were sharply down in 2026 Q1. Although volumes were much lower, Buick, Cadillac, and Chrysler deliveries in the US were down by more than a quarter. All brands of the Volkswagen Group struggled in the US with sales lower in 2026 Q1: VW -16.1%, Audi -30%, and Porsche -12.5%.

RAM was the only large brand with significantly higher sales in the US in the first three months of 2026. Hyundai, in its 40th year in the US, had its strongest first-quarter sales ever.

  • The top-selling models in the USA in 2026 (Q1): the Ford F-Series was the top-selling vehicle model, but the Honda CR-V outsold the Toyota RAV4 as the best-selling SUV, while the Camry remained America’s favorite sedan passenger car model. 

Car Sales by Brand in the USA in 2025 (Full Year)

Light Vehicle Sales in the USA in 2026:

Light Vehicle Sales in North America in 2025:

Car Sales by Brand in the USA in 2025 (Full Year):

NOTE: “Sales” as reported by the various brands generally refer to deliveries and not necessarily sales to the customer or final registration. Terms and definitions may vary. All statistics are provided by respective car manufacturers unless clearly marked otherwise.