What second-hand cars, trucks, and SUVs are Americans buying most?
Being able to buy a brand-new vehicle is a great experience, but it isn’t a reality for many. That’s why a healthy used car market is important, as you’re often able to get a great secondhand car, truck, or SUV at a much lower price that used. (With some exceptions, like hot vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco which aren’t great second-hand deals due to demand.) So what used vehicles are Americans buying? We looked at data from ISeeCars to find out the answer to that question.
Top Five Selling Vehicles of 2023
If you’re wondering what the number one vehicle sold in the used market is, it shouldn’t surprise you that it’s the same as the best-selling new vehicle. That would be the Ford F-150, making up 3.3 percent of all one- to five-year-old models (2018 to 2022, if you can’t do the quick math) sold in the U.S. through the end of 2023. According to ISeeCars, this is the second year in a row for the F-150 to top this list and it even made the same percentage. Next up was the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, making up 2.6 percent of used vehicle sold, but down 0.3 percent over 2022.
Third is the Chevrolet Equinox that made up 2.1 percent and a marginal gain of 0.1 percent that allowed it to climb up from fourth in 2022. It bumped the Ram 1500 which made the same percentage as the Equinox but is down in sales of all used cars by 0.2 percent. The Toyota Camry, while normally a popular vehicle in the new car market, made up only 1.8 percent of all used cars sold in the U.S. As an aside, this is an upwards movement for the Camry as it was sixth last year and bumped the Honda Civic to that place by being 0.1 percent ahead of the Honda.
Other Interesting Notes
A few cars on the list made huge jumps, like the Toyota Corolla, which leapt to eighth place from 13th in 2022. The Ford Explorer was also a big move, jumping from 11th place to ninth. While the Ford Bronco didn’t make the list as it’s probably still too new, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited did and came out to the 18th most-bought used vehicle, dropping down one position from 2022. Making up only 1 percent of used cars sold was the Chevrolet Malibu, but while that was 0.1 percent less models sold from 2022, it did bump up two positions compared to that year.
Top Selling Used Electric Vehicles of 2023
While you should still do your due diligence with any used EV purchase, used EVs that are one to five years old generally still have plenty of life left in their battery packs. And the top two used EVs on this list shouldn’t be a surprise, as Tesla is a perennially popular EV brand. With 34.9 percent of the used EV market, the Model 3 tops the chart for the second year in a row, but it’s down by 5.1 percent over 2022. The second most-bought was the Model Y, which made up 11.9 percent and a 1.6 percent gain over 2022.
Coming up in third was the Chevrolet Bolt, which made up 6.9 percent and bumped the Tesla Model S from this position. The Nissan Leaf made up 6.2 percent and ranked fourth to further drop the Model S to fifth. The original Tesla sedan made up only 5.6 percent of the used EV market, down by 4.2 percent, dropping a significant two positions on the list.
Tesla’s other all-electric, the Model X, only made up 5.5 percent in 2023 putting it in sixth place where it once was the fourth most sold at 7.7 percent in 2022. Ford’s Model Y competitor, the Mustang Mach-E, increased its sales over 2022’s 3.7 percent to 4.6 percent of used EVs sold, but remained in seventh place for 2023. VW Group’s EVs—the Audi E-tron, Porsche Taycan, and Volkswagen ID.4—rounded out the rest of the top 10 of all used EV sold in that order with only the Audi approaching 3 percent of all used EV sales.
Top Selling Used Trucks of 2023
Trucks are arguably the most important vehicle segment in the U.S., proven out by the F-150 being the most popular used vehicle overall. But what trucks are the most popular and how do they rank among themselves? Obviously the top two overall are still going to be the two in their class with the F-150 and Silverado 1500 making up the top two, at 21.9 and 17.7 percent of the used market in total.
Next up is the Ram 1500 at 14 percent, then the Toyota Tacoma at 9.1 percent, and the GMC Sierra 1500 at 8.1 percent.
Top Selling Used SUVs of 2023
If it ain’t a truck, then you’ll find most Americans behind the wheel of an SUV, but the biggest jump in this category is the same SUV that made a big jump in overall used sales: the Ford Explorer. While it only finished 2023 third in used SUV sales, that 3.4 percent of the market was enough to jump it from fifth in 2022. The Nissan Rogue dropped to fourth ranking for 2023 with a 2.8 percent market share of used SUVs, this is a 0.5 percent drop from 2022.
The Honda CR-V had a 0.1 percent change in its share of the used SUV market, but its 2.7 percent share was enough to bump it up to the fifth most sold in the US from its seventh position in 2022. And despite losing 0.1 of the market from 2022, the Toyota RAV4 was able to remain the second most-sold used SUV in 2023 by taking 3.8 percent of the market. With the Chevrolet Equinox being the third most-popular used vehicle going to a new home, its sales made up 4.0 percent of the used SUV market to keep it number one, but that is a drop of 0.4 percent from 2022.
Top Selling Used Cars of 2023
Cars just don’t sell like they used to, at least in the new market. Used is a different story, but the Toyota Camry did just squeaking by with only 0.1 percent better than the RAV4. That was enough to make it the only used car that made the top five overall used vehicles.
Looking over the entire used passenger car market, the numbers are rather tight but have improved for the top three within their category. The Camry made up 6.1 percent of the used passenger car market, a 0.6 percent increase over 2022 that boosted it up to first in 2023. The Honda Civic was able to boost its sales figures by 0.2 percent and make up 5.8 percent of the used car market and be the second most-sold in the U.S. The Toyota Corolla boosted its sales by 0.6 percent to finish as the third most-sold passenger car in the U.S. with 5.3 percent of the used car market.
With the correction by ISeeCars, the Nissan Altima fell in used car market share by 0.2 percent, finishing out 2023 as the fourth most-popular used car by taking 4.6 percent of the market. This correction also moved the Honda Accord up to the fifth most sold used car, the same position it held in 2022 but increasing its 4.4 percent share to 4.6 for 2023.
Justin Banner
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he’s had experience working as an automotive service technician— including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector— service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He’s best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At iBestTravel, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
