The biggest story on this list is the Honda CR-V, which has opened a commanding lead in the race to become America’s best-selling SUV. Through June, Honda sold 226,114 CR-Vs, compared with 153,955 Toyota RAV4s—a difference of 72,159 vehicles. The RAV4 entered 2026 as the defending sales champion after Toyota sold 479,288 of them in 2025, but it has spent much of this year dealing with limited inventory during the changeover to the redesigned 2026 model. Toyota itself acknowledged production constraints during the new RAV4’s ramp-up, so the decline does not appear to be caused by consumers suddenly losing interest in it.
Is there still time for the RAV4 to retain its full-year crown? Mathematically, yes, but realistically, it is going to be extremely difficult. If the CR-V simply matches its first-half pace during the final six months, it would finish the year at approximately 452,000 sales. The RAV4 would then need to sell nearly 300,000 units in the second half—or almost 50,000 every month—to catch it. For comparison, the RAV4 averaged just under 40,000 sales per month during its championship year in 2025. Toyota should have a much stronger second half as production of the new model increases, and the company says the RAV4 Hybrid has already begun setting records, but Honda is hardly standing still. The CR-V just recorded its best first half ever, and June sales were up 30%.
My prediction is that the RAV4 will close the gap considerably, but the CR-V is now the clear favorite to take the 2026 SUV sales crown. Toyota needs both an extraordinary production recovery and a noticeable CR-V slowdown. One of those things is possible; getting both would require a lot to go exactly right. The RAV4 remains enormously popular, but Honda built a cushion while Toyota was changing horses in the middle of the stream, and 72,000 vehicles is a very large cushion.
The broader list shows just how completely compact crossovers have become the center of the American new-vehicle market. Eight of the top 10 models are compact or compact-adjacent crossovers, including the CR-V, RAV4, Rogue, Equinox, Tucson, Trax, Forester and Sportage. These vehicles are large enough for most families, easier to park and more fuel-efficient than traditional full-size SUVs, while still providing the seating position and cargo flexibility buyers want. The Chevrolet Trax reaching seventh place is especially notable because it shows that affordability still matters greatly. Buyers may love large SUVs, but many of them do not love large monthly payments.
Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru and Ford also deserve attention for placing multiple models in the top 25. Chevrolet has the Equinox, Trax and Traverse; Hyundai and Kia combine for five entries; Subaru has the Forester, Crosstrek and Outback; and Ford has the Explorer, Bronco and Bronco Sport. Meanwhile, the Wrangler, Bronco and 4Runner prove that rugged, off-road-oriented vehicles remain highly desirable even when many owners’ most difficult trail is the parking lot at Costco.
Perhaps most telling, there is not a single luxury brand in the top 25. This part of the market is being driven by mainstream brands offering recognizable names, useful interiors, strong fuel economy and attainable payments. Styling and technology matter, but value still closes the deal.
Here are the top 25 best-selling SUVs in America halfway through 2026 (excluding Tesla sales “estimates”)
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Honda CR-V - 226,114
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Toyota RAV4 - 153,955
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Nissan Rogue - 135,970
- Ford Explorer - 126,925
- Chevrolet Equinox - 124,375
- Hyundai Tucson. -117,612
- Chevrolet Trax - 109,993
- Subaru Forester- 107,854
- Jeep Grand Cherokee - 101,737
- Kia Sportage - 94,907
- Subaru Crosstrek - 87,623
- Jeep Wrangler - 86,254
- Chevrolet Traverse - 81,417
- Ford Bronco - 76,936
- Toyota Grand Highlander - 76,936
- Kia Telluride -73,602
- Toyota 4Runner -72,320
- Ford Bronco Sport -71,487
- Honda HR-V - 68,374
- Mazda CX-50 - 64,819
- Nissan Pathfinder - 64,071
- Hyundai Santa Fe - 64,003
- Hyundai Palisade - 63,453
- Honda Pilot -63,383
- Subaru Outback - 62,958
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