The Most Popular Cars in America (2022)

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Insurify InsightsData & Research Team

Insurify’s team of data scientists and content specialists presents Insurify Insights, a series of automotive, home, and health studies focusing on the topics that impact us all. Through expert analysis of over 4 million car insurance applications and an array of top data sources, the Insurify Insights team produces new data-driven articles, trend analyses, regional superlatives, and national rankings every week. See Insurify Insights as featured in Forbes, Fox News, USA Today, NPR, and more.

Published November 15, 2023 at 2:24 PM PST

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Drivers across the nation may prefer different vehicle types, but these ten cars have something to offer practically everyone on the road.

From SUVs to sedans, pickups to hatchbacks, Americans have no shortage of choices when it comes to picking their ideal vehicle. Whether they’re looking for ample cargo space, tight handling, or even a flashy paint job, customers can find just about any vehicle to suit their particular automotive needs.

There are some vehicle features, however, that everyone can appreciate. Fuel-efficiency and affordability never go out of style, especially as pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions have pushed the cost of both new and used cars skyward. A new vehicle is now 13% more expensive than the market average from just a year ago, while a pre-owned ride will set the average buyer back a whopping 27% more than it did at the beginning of 2021.

Curious to see how these trends have shaped consumer preferences, the research team at Insurify ran the numbers to identify the most popular vehicles in America in 2022.

Map of the United States showing the most popular vehicle in each state.

Insights

  • Honda lands at the top. While Honda, Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet all have two car models ranking among the ten most popular vehicles in 2022, Honda edges out the competition by having its top two cars—the Accord and Civic—place first and third, respectively. Together, these two models account for 5.8% of all vehicles on the road in 2022.

  • Popular, but not dominant. The ten most popular cars in the nation are certainly widespread, but that doesn’t mean they monopolize the roads. Combined, the ten most common car models in America account for 19.8% of all cars in the country, meaning that about four out of five times, the next vehicle you pass on the streets will be something slightly more niche than these perennially popular options.

  • Affordability at the forefront. In November 2021, the average sale price of a new car in America was $46,329 —a record high—according to Kelley Blue Book. Vehicle prices have risen dramatically over the past year and are expected to climb higher in 2022. Among the ten most popular cars in the nation, however, costs remain more reasonable. The average MSRP of the ten most common cars in the country is only $24,990, which is just over half the national average. With starting prices accessible to a much greater share of Americans, it’s no wonder these vehicles are so ubiquitous.

  • Regional preferences. Everyone knows that America’s geographic regions have their differences in areas like food or vernacular, but it turns out that they have distinct preferences in vehicles, too. Honda sedans, particularly the Accord, dominate the East and West coasts, while the Ford F-Series pickup is extremely popular throughout the Mountain West and Great Plains regions. Interestingly, the Nissan Altima has also endeared itself to Southern drivers, while motorists in the central Midwest prefer the Chevrolet Malibu.

Methodology

To determine the most popular vehicles in America, the research team at Insurify, a site to compare auto insurance rates, turned to their database of over 4.6 million car insurance applications. Applicants must disclose their driving history and information including the make and model of their vehicle and state of residence when applying for car insurance. Insurify’s data scientists ranked the ten most popular vehicles identifying the models with the highest total number of drivers across the  United States. The car models with the greatest number of drivers in each state were also named the most popular car for their respective states.

Insurify’s research team referred to each model’s respective manufacturers’ websites for MSRP and MPG. Data on the average price of a new car was gathered from Kelley Blue Book’s November 2021 car sales report.

The findings in this article represent statistical trends found in Insurify’s database of over 4.6 million car insurance applications. The findings of this study are not meant to imply the direction nor necessarily the existence of a causal relationship. Rather, this is a presentation of statistical correlations of public interest.

Insurify Insights
Insurify InsightsData & Research Team

Insurify’s team of data scientists and content specialists presents Insurify Insights, a series of automotive, home, and health studies focusing on the topics that impact us all. Through expert analysis of over 4 million car insurance applications and an array of top data sources, the Insurify Insights team produces new data-driven articles, trend analyses, regional superlatives, and national rankings every week. See Insurify Insights as featured in Forbes, Fox News, USA Today, NPR, and more.