The 25 Bestselling Cars, Trucks, and SUVs of 2022
Supply issues continue to plague the industry, but these are the models that managed to reach the most buyers in 2022.
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.
UPDATE 1/23/22: This list has been updated with more current Tesla sales estimates.
25. Honda Civic (133,932 units sold)
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 4x4 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 (198,200 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. Tesla Model Y (231,400 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 231,000 in 2022.
8. 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.
7. 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.
6. 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.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
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