Americans bought more than 15 million cars in 2023 — not quite back to pre-pandemic levels (which sometimes approached 17 million), but well over the 13.9 million of 2022.
The list of top sellers changes little from year to year – Americans tend to buy what they’ve learned to trust. Full-size trucks always take up the top three spots (but automakers offer many more varieties of SUVs and sedans, spreading sales of those categories across more models).
But there are a few notable changes.
The Nissan Altima dropped off the list. The Subaru Forester appeared on it.
The Tesla Model Y continues its march up the charts, placing fifth after finishing last year in the eighth spot. Tesla continues to build the only electric vehicles (EVs) to chart, though we should note that the Tesla numbers below are estimates from trade publication Automotive News. Tesla is the only major automaker that doesn’t report sales figures broken out by country and model.
Otherwise, the list reads much like it did at midyear and much like it did in 2022.
Americans bought a record-high percentage of luxury cars in 2023. But no luxury cars crack the top 25 (unless you consider Tesla’s two affordable models — the Model 3 and Model Y — to be luxury cars).
There are a few oddities to remember if you want to argue with someone about the results. For one, the Ford F-Series has been America’s best-selling vehicle for more than 40 years. But Ford sells its truck under just one name. General Motors sells two trucks that share almost all their parts – the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. If you combine their numbers, GM would have taken the crown.
For another, automotive websites like KBB.com often treat hybrid and gas-powered versions of a car as two separate models because shoppers often do. But automakers report sales as if they were one model. For instance, Honda’s sales figure for the CR-V includes numbers for both the CR-V and the CR-V Hybrid.
The Top 25 of 2023:
| Rank | Model | Sales Figure |
| 1 | Ford F-Series | 750,789 |
| 2 | Chevrolet Silverado | 555,148 |
| 3 | Ram 1500 | 444,926 |
| 4 | Toyota RAV4 | 434,943 |
| 5 | Tesla Model Y | 385,900 (estimate) |
| 6 | Honda CR-V | 361,457 |
| 7 | GMC Sierra | 295,737 |
| 8 | Toyota Camry | 290,649 |
| 9 | Nissan Rogue | 271,458 |
| 10 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 244,594 |
| 11 | Toyota Tacoma | 234,768 |
| 12 | Tesla Model 3 | 232,700 (estimate) |
| 13 | Toyota Corolla | 232,370 |
| 14 | Chevrolet Equinox | 212,701 |
| 15 | Hyundai Tucson | 209,624 |
| 16 | Honda Civic | 200,381 |
| 17 | Honda Accord | 197,947 |
| 18 | Ford Explorer | 186,799 |
| 19 | Toyota Highlander | 169,543 |
| 20 | Subaru Outback | 161,814 |
| 21 | Subaru Crosstrek | 159,193 |
| 22 | Jeep Wrangler | 156,581 |
| 23 | Mazda CX-5 | 153,808 |
| 24 | Subaru Forester | 152,566 |
| 25 | Ford Escape | 140,968 |
