Toyota’s best-selling vehicle is no longer the RAV4: it’s not an SUV at all

The automotive industry has been convincing buyers for years that SUV They’re the only body style that matters, and crossovers are steadily replacing sedans in driveways across America. That shift helped create some dominant sales leaders, but 2026 is proving that consumer tastes aren’t always as predictable as they seem.

A surprising reorganization is unfolding within one of the world’s largest automakers, with supply constraints, changes to powertrains and new model updates completely reshuffling the pecking order. Most shocking of all, the company’s best-selling vehicle is no longer the crossover everyone expects, suggesting that the humble sedan still has much more life left in it than many assumed.

To provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article comes from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources.

RAV4 is no longer Toyota’s best-selling vehicle in 2026 (so far)

Despite a complete overhaul, the crossover struggles to gain traction

For the 2026 model year, Toyota completely overhauled the RAV4. They ditched non-hybrid powertrain optionsgave it a sleeker exterior look and updated the interior so it now looks much more modern. Despite all this work, the crossover has struggled to find the same kind of success it usually has, with second-quarter numbers showing a decline in sales.

Toyota RAV4 sales second quarter of 2026

Traditionally, the RAV4 was not only the best-selling vehicle in the Toyota lineup, but it was also the most popular SUV in the United States, and not by a small margin either. While the Honda CR-V often ranked just behind the RAV4 in terms of units sold, Toyota’s crossover was the undeniable king. However, since its review things have changed drastically. Production issues have been a key reason for this, but we also believe that not all buyers are ready to make the switch to a hybrid.

At the end of the second quarter of 2026, Toyota has sold almost 100,000 fewer units than last year in the same period. Compared to the 153,995 RAV4 units that Toyota has sold, Honda has managed to sell a whopping 226,114 CR-Vs.

Toyota tries to soften this blow in its press release by claiming that these are the best sales ever achieved by the “RAV4 ​​Hybrid”, but that’s because buyers now have no choice but to buy a hybrid. Additionally, there is another model in Toyota’s lineup that has become a hybrid-only model and now sits at the top of the list, well above the RAV4.

The most popular car in the Toyota range is actually a sedan.

The Camry shows that sedans are still in fashion

There’s been a pretty big shift toward SUVs in recent years, with automakers slimming down their lineup of sedans and hatchbacks to make way for larger vehicles. It is in this context that the RAV4 established its dominance in the market. However, there is a sedan in the Toyota stable that is proving that buyers still value body styleobtaining more sales in the second quarter than any other vehicle of the brand.

Toyota Camry sales second quarter of 2026

Like the RAV4, the Camry also underwent a fairly recent overhaul. The Japanese brand got rid of the gasoline variants, leaving a hybrid configuration as the only option. On top of this, they gave it a desperately needed styling update, inside and out, and imbued it with a ton of new technology. Despite the price increase that came along with these changes, the Camry has been on an upward trend that no other sedan on the market can match.

With 179,044 units sold as of the end of the second quarter of 2026, the Camry is now the best-selling vehicle carrying the Toyota badge. Much of this success was experienced earlier this year, although its sales continue to grow. Those with keen eyes will have already noticed that Toyota managed to sell more RAV4s in June than Camrys, but the hybrid crossover still has a long way to go to catch up with the mid-size sedan.

The Toyota 4Runner has become the brand’s fastest growing SUV

Buyers clearly like the updated off-roader

While there are still a couple of models in Toyota’s lineup that outsell the 4Runner, it’s had a fantastic year so far. The Japanese off-roader has always been very popular thanks to its rugged and rugged reputation, which is why people were so nervous when it entered a new generation for the 2025 model year. However, sales figures show just how successful the update has been, with the 4Runner showing immense growth.

Toyota 4Runner sales second quarter of 2026

At the end of the first quarter, back in April, it was clear that 4Runner sales were increasing at an incredible rate. Compared to the same period in 2025, the brand saw a sales increase of 294 percent, meaning that the Japanese brand had effectively quadrupled the number of units moved. Now that the second quarter of the year has come to an end, we can see that this growing popularity was anything but a fluke.

While perhaps not as impressive as the first quarter numbers, at the end of the second quarter, Toyota still managed to sell more than twice as many 4Runners as it did last year in the same period. The slight slowdown makes some sense, as the updated 4Runner we have now was released in March 2025. Regardless, the meteoric rise of Toyota’s off-road SUV is exceptionally impressive, as it’s catching up to some of the traditionally best sellers in the Japanese automaker’s lineup.

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While there are signs that things could stabilize, Toyota’s hierarchy has been turned upside down.

Toyota has been affected by a wave of different factors that have made it difficult to get its new RAV4 from the factory to dealerships. This means that the SUV that once dominated all other SUVs in terms of sales has suffered a major fall from grace. Following this, several other Toyotas have taken the opportunity to shine. Surprisingly, the brand’s best-selling product is not even an SUV anymore, and the Camry proves that sedans still have a place in the market.

While there are signs that things could slowly but surely return to normal for the brand, with RAV4 sales figures starting to recover, there’s no denying that Toyota’s hierarchy has completely changed. Buyers are experiencing the other vehicles the brand has to offer and this change could be more than short-lived.