Production bottlenecks for the new generation of Toyota RAV4 and supply constraints for the Ford F-150 have left rare room for a new name at the top of the U.S. sales leaderboard. For much of the 21st Century, half-ton trucks and compact crossovers have dominated the new car sales charts in the United States. The Ford F-150 and Toyota RAV4 are typically the standard-bearers for those categories, but an unusual year for both has opened the door for a surprise change at the halfway mark of 2026: thanks to supply constraints on the country's two most popular models, the best-selling car of 2026 to date in America is none other than the Honda CR-V.
It's big news for the CR-V, which has been in close competition with the wildly successful RAV4 ever since the days when Honda's crossover came with a picnic table in the back. Honda's diminutive crossover has had a strong year on the back of a widely-available hybrid trim and a more niche soft-roading TrailSport spec. The car's 226,114 sales to date were also helped along by some of the conditions impacting its chief competition at the top of the U.S. sales leaderboard.
View Price on AmazonThe aluminum-bodied F-150 has struggled with supply constraint of that key material, something impacted by a September 2025 fire at a Novelis-owned aluminum plant. That facility resumed production this past month, lifting one of the bigger supply chain burdens holding back the ever-popular pick-up. Automotive News quotes Auto Forecast Solutions in saying that Ford has produced 17,600 fewer examples of the truck through May.
Toyota's struggles with RAV4 supply, on the other hand, come from a more conventional problem. 2026 marks the start of a long-awaited sixth generation for Toyota's Recreational Active Vehicle that sometimes has something resembling four-wheel drive. The same Automotive Forecast Solutions data claims that resulting plant changeovers have reduced production by 86,400 across five months.
Since the issues limiting both RAV4 and F-150 production are closer to being solved now than not, Honda's time in the sun may not last long. Both the Ford and its chief competition, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, are within 35,000 sales of the Honda with six months left to go in the year. Toyota's contender is further off at more than 70,000 sales behind the CR-V, making its odds of reclaiming the top spot on the leaderboard less likely.
Source: roadandtrack.com
