There are lots of ways to slice and dice automotive sales and production data in search of trends that signal a shift from month to month, quarter to quarter, or year to year. Clump together 10 or 20 years of data and you start to see the big picture.
That’s one way that Experian, the credit reporting agency, looks at US sales trends, with a unique focus on “vehicles in operation,” or VIO. Experian’s data goes back decades, which explains how the company can account for the 298 million vehicles on American roads today, up from 293.5 million in the first quarter of 2025.
Subaru 2026 Dealership DesignSubaru
A few fun facts from Experian: 11.3 million light vehicles “went out of service” in the US, as some headed off to the crusher, while 39.7 million used vehicles found new owners, all in the first quarter of 2026. And here’s a very interesting emerging trend: More and more shoppers are crossing state lines to find their next new or used car, thanks to digital retailing, online shopping, and services like Carvana delivering cars right to your driveway.
Buyers Are Hungrier Than Ever To Find The Absolute Best Deal
Ford Signature DealershipFord
Experian reports 13.1% of shoppers (see chart below) for exotic and luxury cars crossed state lines for their latest purchase in Q1, up from 10.4% five years ago. Mainstream shoppers are doing it, too, with 9.3% of them purchasing in other states in Q1, compared to 7% in 2021. In the struggle to find affordable cars, consumers are having to shop wherever necessary.
Moreover, buyers have more tools than ever to search for the best deals. Aside from simply shopping dealership websites, there are numerous resources that search far and wide, across makes and models and vehicles with specific options. CarBuzz has its own Marketplace hub which serves readers with available vehicles within 50 miles, or anywhere in the US.
In short, simply being the “local” dealer doesn’t mean buyers will accept higher prices, even if local competition is slim. Experian’s deep dive confirms that more buyers than ever are expanding their searches for good deals, and that goes for new or used cars, mainstream vehicles, luxury cars, and exotics.
Experian Q1 2026 automotive sales trendsExperian
Tesla Model Y Maintains Crushing Dominance
What cars are buyers looking for? Even though US growth for battery-electric vehicle sales has slowed since federal tax incentives disappeared last fall, the trajectory remains upward: Experian counted 5.9 million BEVs in operation in the US in Q1 2026, up from 1.1 million in early 2021. The growth rate was similar for hybrid and plug-in hybrids until two years ago, when they collectively began outpacing EVs. Experian tallied 12.7 million HEVs or PHEVs on American roads in Q1 2026, up from 5.7 million in early 2021.
Experian Q1 2026 automotive sales trendsExperian
You can probably guess which BEVs are selling best in the US, but their actual shares are bound to surprise. In Q1 2026, based on new retail registrations, the Tesla Model Y, with its recent “Juniper” refresh, is clobbering every other EV, with a whopping 39.1% market share, up from 24% a year earlier. In second place is Tesla’s Model 3, which was refreshed in 2024. Its US market share fell from 16% in early 2021 to 8.1% in Q1 2026 (see chart below).
Tesla Model Y Performance Juniper Full Aero Kit Unplugged Performance Unplugged Performance
The rest of the field consists of the Toyota bZ and Hyundai Ioniq 5, both growing to 4.8% from a year earlier, while the Chevy Equinox EV has grown to a 4.2% share. Market share losers as of Q1 2026 included the Mustang Mach-E (2.7%), Tesla Cybertruck (1.6%), Honda Prologue (1.6%), Cadillac Lyriq (1.4%), Kia EV6 (1.1%), and Ford F-150 Lightning (1.1%).
Yes, Ford Has 5th Best-Selling Hybrid
If you need help shopping for a hybrid or PHEV, well, Experian can show you which ones are the most popular. Of course four out of the top six are Toyotas, starting with the Camry accounting for 13.4% of the segment in Q1, the same as last year. The Honda CR-V hybrid was in second place, with a 9.5% share, followed by the Toyota RAV4 with 7.6%, including a decent number of plug-in hybrids.
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With the new sixth generation RAV4 now available and sold only as a hybrid and PHEV, count on that share to climb. Amid the 20 top hybrids – all Japanese or Korean brands – stands the Ford F-150 with its EcoBoost hybrid at No.5 with 4.2% share, as well as the Ford Maverick hybrid further down, with 2.8% share.
Experian Q1 2026 automotive sales trendsExperian
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Data geeks can appreciate Experian’s latest report, which can be downloaded on the link below. Our story merely scratches the surface of trends that are impacting car shoppers, the buying process, automakers, and the brands they own and manage. For instance, General Motors ranked No.1 in the first quarter with its 60 million vehicles in operation (20.1% of all VIO in US), down from about 75 million in 2009. By merely a hair, Ford stays No.2 with about 46 million VIO in the US (15.4% of all VIO). While Ford’s number has been consistently falling, Toyota has surged to 15.3% of all VIO in the US, about to overtake Ford as the No.2 automaker in the US, based on VIO.
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From tariffs, war, and concerns about job security to fluctuating interest rates and fuel prices, the factors that inform shoppers are in constant flux. What will Experian’s report show for the second quarter and then for all of 2026? Count on hybrids and maybe even plug-in hybrids to continue gaining popularity. And if there’s enough pent-up demand from EV shoppers discouraged that federal tax incentives have gone away, then we could see EV sales starting to climb later this year, particularly as lower-priced EVs, such as the Rivian R2, reach showrooms. And if the next car you want to buy happens to be in another state, don’t let that scotch the deal.
Source: Experian
