America’s Single Best-Selling Vehicle Is No Longer the F-150: It’s the Toyota RAV4

The Ford F-150 has topped sales charts for decades, but this data paints a different picture for 2024.

Even though it’s far from the only compact SUV on the market, Toyota’s RAV4 has absolutely dominated the sales charts for year after year — at least when you’re just talking about “cars”. When you talk about the best-selling vehicle in America, though, the answer has, for decades, been the Ford F-150…until now. According to data from analytics company JATO Dynamics, the best-selling vehicle is also America’s best-selling car (in terms of registrations) once again: the Toyota RAV4.

Among the 16.09 million vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2024 (up 3% from the preceding year), the RAV4 racked up a staggering 475,193 sales, making it the model’s best year ever. And keep in mind that Toyota’s best seller has been racking up around 400,000 sales every year since 2017. “Sells like hot cakes” is a gigantic understatement when describing its success, even as the current model rolls past its sixth year in production (and a new one is due out for 2026). Not only was the RAV4 up more than 9% year-over-year, but that surge was enough to propel it past the Ford F-150’s 460,915 total registrations.

Now, it’s worth noting that figure, provided through JATO, is only for the Ford F-150. It’s a different approach from how Ford Motor Company reports its own sales, as they group all F-Series models together (so everything from the F-150 to the F-250/350/450 pickups and the company’s “medium duty” F-600 are all clumped in). Take into account Ford’s own number, and the F-Series is still America’s best-selling nameplate, as the automaker’s trucks racked up a still-impressive 765,649 sales.

Update 2/12/25: Ford reached out on the F-150 versus F-Series distinction at the heart of this post with the following statement (and also clarifying the nature of the company’s direct sales figure posted above): “All Ford F-Series trucks, from F-150 to F-600, share a common cab architecture from the A-pillar to the C-pillar. We offer multiple ICE, EV and hybrid powertrains, frames and exterior style choices depending on trim series and work needs. Other vehicles, like Toyota RAV4 or Porsche 911, also offer multiple powertrains, driveline options, engines, chassis and styling choices for their customers, depending on customer needs and use.”

In third place, the Honda CR-V racked up 402,791 sales throughout 2024. That’s a remarkable feat in itself, as Honda’s popular small SUV actually experienced a greater surge than the RAV4. Rounding out the top 10 popular cars in the U.S. market, the Tesla Model Y is the best-selling EV by a wide margin, with 372,613 deliveries (down 3%). Toyota Camry (in a new generation, let’s remember) managed a 7% uplift for 309,875 sales. The smaller Corolla gained huge ground, proving small and affordable cars are in vogue, with 283,098 sales (up 22%). The Honda Civic was up by 21%, though it fell in behind the Corolla with 242,005 sales. the Nissan Rogue was America’s third best-selling crossover with 245,724 sales (down 7% from 2023).

When you take the same light- versus heavy-duty approach that JATO did to the other Big Three brands, the rest of the top 10 bestsellers are trucks. Namely, behind the F-150, we have the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with 344,022 sales (down 2%). In tenth place is the GMC Sierra 1500, up 11% with 216,248 sales. The Ram 1500, as it happens, doesn’t make the top 10 at all, and comes in thirteenth with 200,006 sales (down 26% year-over-year).

Automotive analyst Felipe Munoz helpfully posted the top 50 best-selling vehicles in the U.S. on Instagram.

Top 10 best-selling vehicles, with data by JATO Dynamics: