Ford counts the F-150 through the heavy-duty F-600 as one nameplate, and by that measure, the F-Series has been America’s best-selling vehicle for 44 consecutive years. Break the F-150 out on its own, the way analytics firm Jato Dynamics and Automotive News do, and the streak has actually been interrupted twice since 2009: by the Toyota Camry that year, and by the Toyota RAV4 for the full calendar year in 2024.

Halfway through 2026, the F-150 has been passed again, but this time the winner is not the RAV4.

According to mid-year data from Automotive News, the Honda CR-V finished the first half of 2026 as the best-selling light-duty 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, with sales down 36% to 153,955 units.

Model to model, between the Ford F-150 and the Honda CR-V, the latter is on top at the halfway point of 2026. It took a specific mix of pricing, marketing strategy, and supply chain issues for the CR-V to gain the lead over the best-selling F-150.

Base Trim Engine

2.7L EcoBoost V6 ICE

Base Trim Transmission

10-speed automatic

Base Trim Drivetrain

Rear-Wheel Drive

3

Consumers want more affordable vehicles

Midsize SUVs offer a strong value-for-dollar proposition

The average new-vehicle transaction price is hovering at or near $50,000 today, the highest it’s ever been in the automotive industry. It seems the days of ultra-affordable cars have passed, and even a six-figure salary may not leave enough margin when factoring in the total cost of vehicle ownership.

Trucks like the F-150 span a wide range of MSRPs, some of which will fall below the national average. For example, the 2026 F-150 XL, STX, and XLT are under the national average of $50,000. However, trucks can easily jump in price with options and packages. Moving up to a fully loaded crew cab with leather and a sunroof will command a premium over an extended cab with cloth seats.

By contrast, a 2026 Honda CR-V starts at $30,920 for the entry-level LX. Even the top trim level, the Sport Touring Hybrid, is under the national average for new vehicle prices at $42,550.

Compared with full-size trucks, vehicles like the CR-V offer a lower sticker price and better fuel economy, both of which are selling points for buyers looking for an affordable family hauler. Today, vehicles like the CR-V offer good cargo space and the latest safety technologies, so buyers may not feel as if they are compromising by choosing something like it over a full-size truck.

At the same time, 48-month and 60-month loan terms are less common than they used to be, as many buyers have opted for 72- or 84-month financing to keep vehicle payments manageable. Financing a vehicle like the CR-V is more realistic for some versus a full-size pickup like the F-150.

2

Supplier challenges left Ford short on trucks

Two fires at the same plant

The F-150’s second-place position to the CR-V mid-year might not be fully attributable to demand, but rather to what Ford could actually build.

A fire at Novelis’s aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, on September 16th, 2025, was followed by a second fire on November 20th in the same area, which was undergoing repairs. With the hot mill knocked offline until late May 2026 due to the fires, Ford was exposed to a brutal supply-chain crunch for its aluminum-body F-150, which ultimately cost the automaker an estimated $2 billion.

While the mill has finally restarted, the inventory bottleneck kept Ford on the defensive all spring. The Novelis facility supplies roughly 40% of the sheet aluminum used by the U.S. auto industry.

Toyota had its own hurdles with the RAV4, which may explain its mid-year position as the number four top-selling vehicle. The RAV4, now in its sixth generation, went hybrid-only for the 2026 model year. While the first units hit dealers in December 2025, the production changeover bottlenecked inventory at plants in Japan and North America through the winter.

Honda, running its CR-V plants at full capacity, kept dealer lots stocked while Ford and Toyota struggled to do so.

Base Trim Engine

1.5L I4 Turbo

Base Trim Transmission

CVT

Base Trim Drivetrain

Front-Wheel Drive

1

Honda priced the CR-V to move

Nearly $1,300 off sticker price, on average

Credit: Honda

Along with having inventory when Ford and Toyota did not, 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 MSRP, a savings of roughly $1,300, with the Sport Touring Hybrid discounted even further.

Honda also backed the CR-V with APR financing as low as 3.74 percent, in addition to standard cash offers for students, recent grads, and military members.

As noted above, the aluminum shortage left the F-150 with limited inventory to discount in the first place. Ford could not run a comparable incentive push.

Will Honda hold the lead for the rest of 2026

It’s possible, though unlikely. Novelis has returned to full production, and Ford expects F-150 output to normalize in the second half of the year. Toyota’s Kentucky plant began building the new RAV4 in June and is expected to add roughly 40,000 units before the end of 2026.

The first half of 2026 showed what happens when two of America’s best-selling vehicles run short at the same time. Regardless of its year-end sales ranking, the 2026 Honda CR-V is still one of the best SUVs on the market today.