Dethroning the Kings
In the United States, the undoubted kings of sales are the Ford F-150 and the Toyota RAV4. Not only do these two models dominate their segment, but they also dominate the whole industry, keeping both brands at the top of the sales charts.
However, in the automotive industry, if you have no inventory, sales will definitely suffer. Such is the case for the first half of 2026; both Toyota and Ford have struggled to keep up with demand, bringing up a new top-selling model.
Honda
CR-V Takes Throne
In a report by Automotive News, the Honda CR-V capitalized on inventory shortfalls of the RAV4 and F-150 to become America’s best-selling light vehicle in the first half of 2026. That is not a small feat; U.S. sales of the CR-V surged by 19% in May, and almost doubled to 30% in June, bringing the CR-V to a total midyear total of 226,114.
According to the report, that beats the year-to-date totals for the F-150 (209,311), the Silverado (194,807), and the RAV4 (153,955). The F-150 has been the king of the sales hill for an incredible 15 of the 16 years, but an aluminum supply issue severely hampered production and inventory. In the RAV4’s case, the change from the previous generation to the all-new one has disrupted its supply and sales somehow.
One of the major reasons CR-V sales grew was a well-executed marketing strategy. Honda’s head of sales, Jessika Laudermilk, said strong customer retention is a key factor in growth, adding that Honda typically outperforms other mainstream competitors in this area.
Kristen Brown
F-Series Vs. F-150
When it comes to total sales, Ford lumps the F-150 into the F-Series sales numbers, without any indication of what percentage of the total is actually F-150s, but most industry experts speculate that around 60-70% of F-Series sales are F-150s.
This also isn’t the first time that the F-150 has been dethroned by another model; in 2024, the RAV4 broke the F-150’s 42-year stronghold on the top sales spot with a total sales of 475,193 units versus the 461,000 units (estimate) of the F-150.
Ford
