Best-Selling Sedans/Hatchbacks In America Through Q3 2026

We’ve looked at America’s best-selling SUVs and pickups through the first three quarters of 2026. Now it’s time to give sedans and hatchbacks their turn, and the numbers offer a reminder that plenty of Americans still want a good old-fashioned car. Apparently, everyone did not get the memo that you need an SUV to bring home groceries, especially Ford and General Motors.

Toyota’s Camry leads comfortably, with 260,684 U.S. sales from January through September, up 11.2% from the same period last year, according to Toyota’s sales report. That puts it 65,543 vehicles ahead of the second-place Corolla. With three quarters completed, the Camry has a substantial cushion heading into the final stretch.

The battle immediately behind it could hardly be closer. Toyota reported 195,141 Corolla sales, while Honda’s Civic reached 195,135. That’s a difference of six vehicles over nine months. One reasonably busy afternoon at a dealership could erase that margin. Corolla sales increased 8.4%, while Civic sales rose 5.4%.

Honda’s Accord also deserves attention. Its 145,520 sales put it fourth, with a 32.7% increase over the first nine months of 2025. American Honda reported its best third quarter for passenger-car sales since 2020. Those results are a pretty convincing response to anyone who thinks the sedan business has disappeared.

Hyundai’s Elantra rounds out the top five with 128,603 sales. Together, Camry, Corolla, Civic, Accord and Elantra accounted for nearly 925,000 sales through September. There is still a sizable audience for vehicles that sit closer to the pavement.

THE TOP 15 SEDANS AND HATCHBACKS

The following ranking covers U.S. sales from January through September 2026. using automaker reports and sales figures compiled by GoodCarBadCar. Tesla’s Model 3 figure is an estimate from Kelley Blue Book's updated third-quarter electric vehicle sales report.

*Tesla Model 3 sales are Kelley Blue Book estimates; Tesla does not publish a separate U.S. sales total for the model.

MORE THAN A TWO-BRAND RACE

Toyota and Honda dominate the first four positions, but other manufacturers are moving substantial numbers, too. Nissan’s Sentra finished ahead of Kia’s combined K4/Forte total by 1,227 vehicles. Kia reports those two nameplates together, so they remain combined here.

Farther down the list, the midsize race offers another close comparison. Kia’s K5 leads Nissan’s Altima by 2,257 sales, while Hyundai’s Sonata trails Altima by 2,094. Hyundai reported Sonata sales up 18% through September, and Kia’s K5 rose approximately 11.6%. Nissan’s Altima, meanwhile, was down 26%. The overall sedan story includes both growth and declines, depending on which showroom you visit.

HOW THE NUMBERS ARE COUNTED

These are calendar-year sales through September, covering all model years sold during that period. Sedan and hatchback versions are combined where reported together, and hybrid versions remain within their respective nameplates. SUVs, crossovers, minivans and dedicated sports coupes are excluded. Mixed coupe-and-hatchback model families without a separate body-style breakdown, such as BMW’s 4 Series, are also excluded.

Sales totals include fleet business where automakers include it; this is not a ranking limited to individual retail buyers. Popularity also isn’t a substitute for finding the right fit. Still, these results make one thing clear: Before writing off the passenger car, somebody ought to consult the hundreds of thousands of people still buying one.