For decades, we’ve all heard the same story — Americans love their giant vehicles.
For more than a decade, the three best-selling models in the United States were consistently the full-size trucks built by the Detroit Three automakers. The Ford F-Series has been America’s best-selling vehicle for nearly five decades. The Chevrolet Silverado has consistently held second place for more than a decade, usually followed by the Ram 1500.
The midsize SUV overtook the midsize car as America’s family car of choice, and those have been growing. Even the compact SUVs of today would have qualified as midsize when George W. Bush was president.
But, beginning last year, a new trend has emerged.
Americans are starting to choose smaller vehicles again.
Data from Kelley Blue Book parent company show that, since 2019, Americans have begun choosing smaller vehicles.
The Rise of the Compact SUV
Compact SUVs took over as America’s best-selling type of vehicle in 2020. Since then, the number of compact SUVs sold has grown while midsize SUV sales have retreated. Three compact SUVs overtook the Ram truck in sales in 2025. The Toyota RAV4, Tesla Model Y, and Honda CR-V all outsold Ram’s full-size truck.
Incredibly, the same is now true for trucks. Full-size trucks still outsell midsize trucks, but full-size truck sales have been shrinking since 2020. Midsize truck sales now show consistent growth.
This could raise alarm bells in Detroit, where automakers have focused their efforts on full-size models. Ram does not currently build a midsize truck for the U.S. market, though rumors persist that the Dakota name could come back on a smaller truck soon. In the meantime, its sibling brand, Jeep, does offer the Gladiator midsize pickup.
Chevrolet’s Colorado and Ford’s Ranger, meanwhile, now come only in a 4-door (crew cab), short-bed configuration. Toyota dominates sales in the growing midsize truck category and builds its Tacoma in combinations of extended and crew cabs with short and long beds. Nissan is another manufacturer that makes its midsize truck, the Frontier, in multiple configurations. Nissan also discontinued its Titan full-size pickup, after the 2024 model year, which struggled to gain traction in the market.
In 2022, the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz compact trucks debuted to strong sales, emerging from their respective shared platforms with the Ford Escape and Hyundai Tucson compact SUVs.
Even among cars, small is making a comeback. Both compact and subcompact car sales have been increasing since 2022. Automakers have nearly abandoned the subcompact car category. Only Nissan builds one in 2025, its Versa sedan. Mitsubishi dealers still have some 2024 Mirage hatchbacks and Mirage G4 sedans on lots, but there is no 2025 Mirage.
Other competitors have left the ultra-small market completely. The Chevy Spark, America’s least-expensive new car for several years, left the market in 2022. So did the Hyundai Accent. Then, the Kia Rio.
A Pricing Problem
The rise of smaller vehicles may be a consequence of bigger prices.
When the COVID-19 pandemic changed America’s shopping habits, automakers understood that only wealthier, better-credit shoppers could easily car shop. They tailored their lineups to attract them, canceling inexpensive models and adding more alternatives at luxury car prices.
That has helped to bifurcate the car market. Last month, the average new car sold for $48,039. But that average was misleading. Buyers clustered at two ends of the scale.
At the low end, compact SUVs outsold all other vehicles, with an average sale price of $36,198. At the other end, Americans bought a record number of cars priced above $100,000.
That’s a problem for dealers, who increasingly find themselves with few inexpensive models to offer.