Supply issues continue to plague the industry, but these are the models that have managed to reach the most buyers in 2022.
Following auto sales in 2022 requires careful managing of expectations. Because supply-chain issues continue to affect dealer inventories, it’s difficult for those in the market to find new vehicles to buy—let alone for a reasonable price. So it’s no surprise that many automakers are reporting sales declines compared with last year. Still, some models are managing to break through the chaos. Here is our list of the top 25 bestselling cars, SUVs, and trucks through the first half of the year. We will be updating this list quarterly as more sales figures are released.
Like many other cars on this list, the Civic is suffering from supply issues that contributed to a 54 percent sales decline through the first half of this year. That’s despite the fact that the Civic sedan and hatchback were redesigned for the 2022 model year.
Honda was clearing out inventory of the old HR-V in anticipation of the new 2023 model that went on sale recently. The combined sales of the old and new model helped the HR-V jump 7 percent in sales through the first half of 2022.
The Ford Escape’s sales fell 14 percent compared with the first half of last year, and it’d better watch out, as the more distinctive Bronco Sport is catching up in terms of sales. The “baby Bronco” sold just over 58,000 units so far this year.
22. Subaru Outback (77,341 units sold)
The Outback has reclaimed its title as the bestselling Subaru, passing the Forester and Crosstrek. Sales are still down 12 percent compared with last year, though.
21. Nissan Altima (78,610 units sold)
With sales up 27 percent through the first two quarters, the Altima mid-size sedan is outselling the Sentra compact sedan once again. The Sentra’s sales dropped 43 percent.
20. Honda Accord (80,422 units sold)
The Accord is a perennial, although sales dropped 30 percent compared with last year. It’s no longer in the hunt with the Toyota Camry for the bestselling non-SUV in the country.
Mazda sales were on the upswing earlier in the year, but things have slowed recently. The CX-5, freshly updated for the 2022 model year, still leads the charge, although its sales fell 12 percent compared with last year.
18. Hyundai Tucson (84,071 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 1 percent over this time last year.
17. Nissan Rogue (87,675 units sold)
Nissan Rogue sales were down 52 percent compared with this time last year, 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 Roque Sport,.
The Model 3 and Model Y made up a vast majority of deliveries throughout the first half of the year. But because Tesla doesn’t break out U.S. sales numbers from its global figures, we’re using Automotive News sales estimates.
15. Jeep Wrangler (99,497 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 54,842 units sold in the first half affected the Wrangler’s 16 percent decline compared with last year.
14. Ford Explorer (102,917 units sold)
The Explorer isn’t keeping up with its mid-size-SUV competitors lately, with sales down 13 percent compared with last year. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Highlander, meanwhile, are both now found higher on this list.
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 108,000 in the first half of 2022.
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 22 percent compared with this time last year.
11. Honda CR-V (116,602 units sold)
It’s almost time for a new Honda CR-V for 2023, and the outgoing model has fallen out of the top 10 bestsellers in the country. Its sales were down 45 percent compared with this time last year.
The Equinox now sits in second place in the mainstream compact-crossover sales race through the first half of 2022. Sales were down compared with last year, though.
9. Toyota Corolla (116,832 units sold)
The Toyota Corolla is synonymous with fuel efficiency, reliability, and affordability, but its popularity is on the decline. Sales dropped 25 percent compared with last year. The 300-hp GR Corolla hot hatchback that just debuted is certainly exciting, but it’ll never be able to boost Corolla volumes significantly due to its niche status.
8. Toyota Highlander (117,403 units sold)
The Toyota Highlander has climbed the sales ranks this year, entering the top 10 bestsellers, but it had a weak second quarter. Sales are now down 19 percent compared with last year.
The Chevy Silverado’s upscale twin finds its way into the top 10 bestselling vehicles through the first half. This includes both heavy-duty models and the light-duty Sierra 1500.
Similar to the Highlander, we’re not used to seeing Jeep’s mid-size SUV this high on the list of bestsellers. Now that both the three-row L and new two-row models are on sale, the numbers jumped by 25 percent compared with last year.
5. Toyota Camry (135,925 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 24 percent but still beat out many SUVs and eclipsed the next best passenger car, the Corolla, by a significant margin.
The RAV4 has cemented its place as the bestselling non-pickup in recent years, and that looks to continue for 2022. Sales were down 9 percent but it still has a wide margin over the next highest-selling model on this list.
Ram’s pickup lineup, including both light- and heavy-duty versions, was down 22 percent compared with last year. It and the Silverado have been fighting for the silver medal in the sales race, although the Chevy reclaimed the lead recently.
2. Chevy Silverado (259,516 units sold)
The light-duty Silverado 1500 gets 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.
Not even a 17 percent decline could knock the F-series lineup from its place atop the sales rankings. Ford has also startted selling an electric version of the F-150 called the Lightning