The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V are not the largest crossover SUVs available in the US market, but they do represent the largest annual sales volume. The RAV4 has dominated sales since 2017 – representing America’s best-selling vehicle without a bed – while the CR-V had the lead from 2014 to 2016.
2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV GR Sport side angle in redJared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet
This year, there’s a good chance the CR-V will reclaim the sales crown, as Toyota has dealt with tight inventories and supply-chain disruptions as the all-new sixth-generation RAV4 has rolled out, since December. The good news for Toyota fans is the RAV4 is recovering. But the bad news is it might not be enough to stave off the CR-V’s challenge.
Can Toyota Close A Huge Gap In Sales?
It’s been a slow ramp up for the RAV4, impacted this year by war with Iran choking shipments of oil and other raw materials through the Straits of Hormuz for the auto industry, stranding more than 1,000 freighters and oil tankers as of last week.
Plus, Trump administration tariffs of up to 25% on vehicles imported from Canada have dinged Toyota’s North American profits, as most RAV4s for the US have come from Ontario plants in Woodstock and Cambridge. As tariffs escalated, Toyota quickly scrambled to shift more RAV4 production to Georgetown, Kentucky, to protect profit margins on the automaker’s best-selling vehicle. It was barely a month ago that production of the new RAV4 started in Kentucky.
2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid TrailSport rear three-quarter angle in green while parkedHonda
So now it’s a race to Dec. 31 to see which SUV will be America’s bestseller in 2026. Honda has a huge lead, having delivered 264,449 CR-Vs in the US through July, an increase of 8% over the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, Toyota has sold 185,240 RAV4s through July, representing a 33.7% dip from the same period in 2025. That’s a gap of nearly 80,000 units to overcome in five months.
Impossible? We’ll see. But isolating sales just for the month of July should give Toyota and its dealers a bit of inspiration. Last month, Honda sold 38,335 CR-Vs in the US, up 18.8% from July 2025. Toyota, on the other hand, sold 31,285 RAV4s in July, down 21.3% from July 2025.
2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV GR Sport interior view of the front cabinJared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet
For context, RAV4 sales in the US were down 48% in the first quarter to 21,693 units as the perfect storm of war with Iran and tariff pressures hindered the RAV4 launch. In that same quarter, Honda sold nearly 41,000 CR-Vs, so here’s the takeaway: Toyota is closing the gap.
Tariffs Hitting Toyota More Than Honda
Powertrain mix might also be a factor. At a time when volatile fuel prices are pushing shoppers into hybrids, Honda is capacity constrained for its CR-V hybrid, while every new 2026 RAV4 is a hybrid. Plug-in hybrid RAV4s are coming from Japan.
But it’s too early for Honda to celebrate reclaiming the sales crown with the CR-V, especially because Honda, like Toyota, also builds its midsize crossovers in Honda’s Plant 2 in Alliston, Ontario, meaning those CR-Vs could be subject to tariffs as well. The upside for Honda, however, is that the automaker builds most CR-Vs for the US in East Liberty, Ohio; and Greensburg, Indiana, which nullifies tariff concerns.
2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport Hybrid interior photo showing the dashboardHonda
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters
Even if Toyota continues a rapid production ramp-up of RAV4 in Kentucky for the next five months, the automaker will be hard-pressed to catch Honda and pass the CR-V, with its huge sales lead more than halfway through the year. After seven months, RAV4 sales are finally trending upward.
But pent-demand can be a powerful thing, and there’s lots of it for the all-new RAV4, as customers were told earlier in the year that it’s best to place an order, rather than picking one off the lot at your neighborhood Toyota dealership. At one point this year, RAV4 inventory was “critically low,” as thin as six days’ supply. In metro Detroit, a quick check of local dealerships finds plentiful stocks of the new RAV4.
Base Trim Engine
2.5L Inline 4 Hybrid
Base Trim Transmission
CVT
Base Trim Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
183 HP @6000 RPM
Base Trim Torque
163 lb.-ft. @ 3600 RPM
Segment
Compact SUV
