Americans Are Opting for Compact SUVs Over All Other Segments This Year | Carscoops

      It's no surprise that SUVs and pickup trucks are leading new car sales nationwide.

      As of May 2025, compact utility vehicles represent 21 percent of new car sales in the U.S. The upper midsize utility vehicles and full-size pickups also hold significant portions of the market. Top sellers include the Honda CR-V, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Ford F-Series.

      Americans have a wide array of options for new cars, with 411 distinct models available across 33 different vehicle categories as of May 2025. Yet, despite this extensive selection, four primary segments continue to dominate the market, accounting for over half of all new vehicle registrations in the first five months of the year.

      Per S&P Global Mobility, these prominent categories encompass compact utility vehicles, upper midsize utility vehicles, subcompact plus utility vehicles, and full-size half-ton pickup trucks. Unsurprisingly, the compact utility segment has emerged as the strongest this year.

      Compact Utility Vehicles at the Forefront

      From January to May, compact utility vehicles accounted for 21 percent of all new retail registrations. The Honda CR-V led this category with 175,246 units sold, followed by the Toyota RAV4 at 161,411 sales, the Chevrolet Equinox with 107,192, and the Hyundai Tucson with 83,112 vehicles sold.

      In the U.S., there are 26 models classified in this segment, with the top three (CR-V, RAV4, and Equinox) making up 40 percent of total sales. Other well-liked models in this category include the Subaru Forester, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and Mazda CX-5.

      Upper Midsize and Subcompact Plus Utilities

      The upper midsize utility segment accounted for 12.3 percent of total new car registrations during the first five months of the year. The Jeep Grand Cherokee led this segment with 75,218 units sold, followed by the Ford Explorer at 55,182, the Honda Pilot at 54,489, and the Hyundai Santa Fe at 47,935.

      According to S&P, subcompact plus utility vehicles are the third most popular segment, comprising 9.2 percent of all new car registrations. This segment includes 16 models, such as the Chevrolet Trax with sales of 73,784, the Subaru Crosstrek at 69,951, the Honda HR-V at 64,039, the Ford Bronco Sport with 46,312, and the Toyota Corolla Cross with 38,606 total sales through May.

      Pickup Trucks Firmly Established

      The full-size half-ton pickup truck segment remains robust, although its market share has dipped from 9 percent a decade ago to 8.2 percent this year. This segment includes only six mainstream model lines.

      The Ford F-Series continues to be at the forefront with 128,011 sales, followed by the Chevrolet Silverado with 109,000, GMC Sierra with 73,149, Ram models with 67,594, the Toyota Tundra at 56,660, and the Nissan Titan with 1,502 units sold.