Car and Driver
Following auto sales in 2022 required careful managing of expectations. Because supply-chain issues continued to affect dealer inventories, it was difficult for those in the market to find new vehicles to buy—let alone for a reasonable price. So it was no surprise that many automakers reported sales declines compared with 2021. Still, some models are managing to break through the chaos. Here is our list of the top 25 bestselling cars, SUVs, and trucks for the year.
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25. Honda Civic (133,932 units sold)
Like many other cars on this list, the Civic suffered from supply issues that contributed to a 49 percent sales decline in 2022. That’s despite the fact that the Civic sedan and hatchback were redesigned for the 2022 model year.
24. Ford Escape (137,370 units sold)
The Ford Escape’s sales fell 6 percent compared with 2021, and it’d better watch out, as the more distinctive Bronco Sport is catching up in terms of sales. The “baby Bronco” sold nearly 100,000 units in 2022.
23. Nissan Altima (139,955 units sold)
With sales up 35 percent in 2022, the Altima mid-size sedan is outselling the Sentra compact sedan by a wide margin. The Sentra’s sales dropped 40 percent.
22. Subaru Outback (147,262 units sold)
The Outback sold more units this year than the Forester, but the Crosstrek surpassed it to become the bestselling Subaru. Sales are down 5 percent compared with last year.
21. Mazda CX-5 (151,594 units sold)
Mazda sales were on the upswing earlier in the year, but things slowed in the second half of 2022. The CX-5, freshly updated for the 2022 model year, still leads the charge, although its sales fell 10 percent compared with 2021.
20. Honda Accord (154,612 units sold)
The Accord is a perennial favorite of ours, although sales dropped 24 percent compared with 2021. It’s no longer in the hunt with the Toyota Camry for the bestselling non-SUV in the country, but we’d still choose it over the popular Toyota. Maybe the new 2023 Accord can turn things around.
19. Subaru Crosstrek (155,142 units sold)
With sales up 22 percent over 2021, the Crosstrek is now the bestselling model in Subaru’s lineup. It uses the same formula as the old Outback Sport models: it’s effectively a lifted version of the Impreza hatchback with extra body cladding and a nice roof rack. There’s a redesigned model coming for the 2024 model year.
18. Hyundai Tucson (175,307 units sold)
It’s no surprise that the Tucson is Hyundai’s representative on this list of bestsellers. Not only was it redesigned for 2022, it also competes in the popular compact-crossover segment, and sales rose around 16 percent over 2021’s total.
17. Jeep Wrangler (181,409 units sold)
The Wrangler is to Jeep as 501s are to Levi’s, but it’s not the brand’s bestselling model. The Grand Cherokee has far surpassed this iconoclastic 4×4 as of late, and we can’t help but wonder how much the Ford Bronco’s 117,057 units sold in 2022 affected the Wrangler’s 11 percent decline compared with last year.
16. Nissan Rogue (186,480 units sold)
Nissan Rogue sales were down 35 percent compared with 2021, which means it’s lagging behind many other compact-crossover competitors on this list. And this is despite the fact that Nissan combines sales figures for both the standard Rogue and the smaller Rogue Sport.
15. Tesla Model 3 (190,472 units sold, estimated)
The Model 3 and Model Y made up a vast majority of Tesla’s deliveries in 2022. But because Tesla doesn’t break out U.S. sales numbers from its global figures, we’re using Automotive News sales estimates.
14. Ford Explorer (207,673 units sold)
The Explorer isn’t keeping up with its mid-size-SUV competitors lately, with sales down 6 percent compared with 2021. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Highlander, meanwhile, are both now found higher on this list.
13. Chevy Equinox (212,072 units sold)
The Equinox now sits in third place in the mainstream compact-crossover sales race. Sales were up 28 percent compared with 2021.
12. Toyota Corolla (222,216 units sold)
The Toyota Corolla is synonymous with fuel efficiency, reliability, and affordability, but its popularity is on the decline. Sales dropped 11 percent compared with 2021. The 300-hp GR Corolla hot hatchback that’s just now hitting the scene is certainly exciting, but it’ll never be able to boost Corolla volumes significantly due to its niche status.
11. Toyota Highlander (222,805 units sold)
The Toyota Highlander has climbed the sales ranks this year, even entering the top 10 bestsellers at one point, but it had a weak second half of the year. Sales are now down 16 percent compared with 2021.
10. Jeep Grand Cherokee (223,345 units sold)
Similar to the Highlander, we’re not used to seeing Jeep’s mid-size SUV this high on the list of bestsellers. Both the three-row L and new two-row models are now on sale; after a strong first half, the GC’s numbers ended up down 16 percent compared with 2021.
9. Toyota Tacoma (237,323 units sold)
Toyota still rules the mid-size pickup roost in terms of sales, beating out the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado. But the Tacoma did drop 6 percent compared with 2021.
8. Honda CR-V (238,155 units sold)
The new 2023 Honda CR-V is now on sale, but the outgoing model also made up a significant number of the nameplate’s sales in 2022. It maintained a place within the top 10 bestsellers, although it was down 34 percent compared with 2021.
7. GMC Sierra (241,522 units sold)
The Chevy Silverado’s upscale twin fell firmly within the top 10 bestselling vehicles in 2022. This includes both heavy-duty models and the light-duty Sierra 1500.
6. Tesla Model Y (253,793 units sold, estimated)
Teslas are neither cheap nor easy to get these days, but the Model Y is still finding its way into lots of American driveways. Automotive News estimates that the EV automaker delivered more than 253,000 in 2022.
5. Toyota Camry (295,201 units sold)
Although SUVs have largely taken over this list, the Toyota Camry remains the bestselling vehicle that’s neither an SUV nor a pickup truck. The Camry dropped by 6 percent but still beat out many SUVs and eclipsed the next best passenger car, the Corolla, by a significant margin.
4. Toyota RAV4 (399,941 units sold)
The RAV4 has cemented its place as the bestselling non-pickup in recent years, and that continued for 2022. Sales were down 2 percent but it still had a wide margin over the next highest-selling model on this list.
3. Ram Pickup (468,344 units sold)
Ram’s pickup lineup, including both light- and heavy-duty versions, was down 18 percent compared with 2021. It and the Silverado were fighting for the silver medal in the sales race, although the Chevy reclaimed the lead.
2. Chevy Silverado (513,354 units sold)
The light-duty Silverado 1500 got an update for 2022, and it needed to gain back some sales momentum to pass the Ram for second place. These numbers also include sales of the heavy-duty model.
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