Ford counts the F-150 through the heavy-duty F-600 as a single nameplate, and by that measure, the F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in America for 44 consecutive years. Take out the F-150 on its own, as the analysis company does Jato Dynamics and Automotive News do, and the streak has actually been broken twice since 2009: by the Toyota Camry that year and by the Toyota RAV4 for the entire calendar year in 2024.
By mid-2026, the F-150 has been surpassed again, but this time the winner is not the RAV4.
According Automotive News mid-year dataThe Honda CR-V finished the first half of 2026 as the best-selling light vehicle in the United States. Honda sold 226,114 CR-Vs through June, ahead of an estimated 209,311 for the F-150 and 194,807 for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, according to GlobalData.
The RAV4 fell to fourth place, with sales falling 36% to 153,955 units.
Model by model, between the Ford F-150 and the Honda CR-V, the latter is on top halfway through 2026. It took a specific combination of pricing, marketing strategy, and supply chain issues for the CR-V to gain the lead over the best-selling F-150.
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2.7L EcoBoost V6 ICE
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Consumers want more affordable vehicles
Midsize SUVs offer a solid value for money proposition
The average transaction price for new vehicles today is at or near $50,000, the highest ever recorded in the auto industry. seems The days of ultra affordable cars. have passed, and even a six-figure salary may not leave enough margin when taking into account the total cost of ownership of the vehicle.
Trucks like the F-150 span a wide range of MSRPs, some of which will be below the national average. For example, the 2026 F-150 XL, STX, and XLT are below the national average of $50,000. However, pickup trucks can easily increase in price with options and packages. Stepping up to a fully loaded crew cab with leather and a sunroof will come at a premium over an extended cab with cloth seats.
By contrast, a 2026 Honda CR-V starts at $30,920 for the base LX. Even the top trim level, the Sport Touring Hybrid, is below the national average new vehicle price of $42,550.
Compared to full-size pickup trucks, vehicles like the CR-V offer a lower sticker price and better fuel economy, both of which are selling points for buyers looking an affordable family hauler. Today, vehicles like the CR-V offer good cargo space and the latest safety technologies, so buyers may not feel like they’re making compromises by choosing something like this over a full-size pickup truck.
At the same time, 48- and 60-month loan terms are less common than before, as many buyers have opted for 72- or 84-month financing to keep vehicle payments manageable. For some, financing a vehicle like the CR-V is more realistic than a full-size truck like the F-150.
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Supplier challenges left Ford without trucks
Two fires on the same floor
The F-150’s second-place position behind the CR-V mid-year might not be entirely attributable to demand, but rather to what Ford could actually build.
a fire in Novelis Aluminum Plant in Oswego, New Yorkon September 16, 2025, was followed by a second fire on November 20 in the same area, which was under repair. With the hot mill offline until the end of May 2026 due to the fires, Ford was exposed to a brutal supply chain crisis for its aluminum-bodied F-150, which ultimately cost the automaker about $2 billion.
While the factory eventually restarted, the inventory bottleneck kept Ford on the defensive throughout the spring. The Novelis facility supplies approximately 40% of the aluminum sheets used by the American automotive industry.
Toyota had its own hurdles with the RAV4, which may explain its mid-year position as the number four best-selling vehicle. The RAV4, now in its sixth generation, passed Hybrid only for 2026 model year.. While the first units reached dealers in December 2025, the production shift hampered inventory at plants in Japan and North America during the winter.
Honda, which was operating its CR-V plants at full capacity, kept its dealer lots supplied as Ford and Toyota struggled to do so.
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Honda priced the CR-V to move
Nearly $1,300 off sticker price, on average
In addition to having inventory when Ford and Toyota didn’t, Honda priced the CR-V to move and advertised it accordingly. As Edmunds noted, the CR-V’s real-world transaction price runs about 3% below MSRPa savings of approximately $1,300, and the Sport Touring Hybrid is discounted even further.
Honda also backed the CR-V with APR financing as low as 3.74 percent, plus standard cash offers for students, recent graduates and military members.
As noted above, the aluminum shortage left the F-150 with limited inventory to discount in the first place. Ford was unable to execute a comparable incentive push.
Will Honda maintain the lead for the rest of 2026?
It is possible, although unlikely. Novelis has returned to full production and Ford expects F-150 production to return to normal in the second half of the year. Toyota’s Kentucky plant began building the new RAV4 in June and is expected to add approximately 40,000 units before the end of 2026.
The first half of 2026 showed what happens when two of the best-selling vehicles in the United States run out of fuel at the same time. Regardless of its year-end sales ranking, the 2026 Honda CR-V remains one of the The best SUVs on the current market..
