Ford’s F-150 Drops Out of the U.S. Sales Lead After 44 years; Here’s Who’s Beating It

Almost buried amidst the bullet points for July sales was a surprising fact: after a 44-year run, the Ford F-150 lost its crown as the nation’s best-selling vehicle during the first half of 2026. Who’s toppled the king-of-the-hill? And can they maintain their lead for the full year? Headlight.News has more.

It’s been the perpetual king-of-the-hill, not just the best-selling truck in America for 44 years but the best-selling vehicle overall when the big Super-Duty package is factored in. But there’s a good shot that the Ford F-150 is about to be dethroned.

The full-size truck line has been struggling with supply shortages, notably the aluminum used for its body and chassis, and fell behind the increasingly well-received Honda CR-V during the first six months of the year. Indeed, the F-150’s lead over its most direct competitor, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was narrowed during the first half, making it all the more critical for Ford to boost production during the final six months of the year.

Whether Honda can maintain its lead remains to be seen, however. The Japanese automaker has boosted production but has barely 15 days of CR-Vs on dealer lots, creating a supply issue of its own.

What’s new

Combined with Super-Duty packages, the F-150 has long outsold its competition – and anything else that’s come up against it. But supply hasn’t been able to keep up with demand since a fire swept through an upstate New York plant run by supplier Novelis last September.

The F-150 became the first all-aluminum mass-market vehicle back in 2015, the Super-Duty following two year later. That made it particularly vulnerable to last year’s disaster – though Ford isn’t the only manufacture hurt by the fire. Aluminum parts and components have become increasingly common across the industry as manufacturers ranging from Audi to Volvo increase their use of the lightweight metal to help improve fuel economy.

“Some of the top models in the industry have been fighting with one hand tied behind their back,” as they seek out other sources of aluminum, Tyson Jominy, senior vice president of data and analytics at JD Power, told trade publication Automotive News.

By the numbers

For the first six months of the year Honda sold a total 226,114 CR-V crossovers in the U.S., year-over-year sales jumping 19% in May and 30% in June, according to GlobalData. By comparison, Ford sold just 209,311 F-150s during the same period. (Ford retains its crown when considering the entire F-Series family, combined first half sales reaching 357,801.)

Chevy came in with sales of 194,807 Silverados, followed by the Toyota RAV4 at 153,995. The Toyota crossover slipped by a full 36% year-over-year, hurt by the transition to an all-new version of the CR-V which limited production.

Until relatively recently, the three top spots on the U.S. sales charts were typically dominated by the three domestic full-size pickups. Ram mustered sales of 165,094 Ram 1500s during the first half. It regained some of the momentum lost during the 2024 launch of an all-new version of the truck after reintroducing a Hemi V-8 option last year.

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Honda kicks it into overdrive

It’s been a big year for the Honda CR-V with sales up 6% for the first half of the year. The crossover has surged in the sale race, just last year lagging behind not only the F-150 but RAV4 and Silverado 1500. The Honda model has benefited from the overall ascent of compact crossovers in recent years. They collectively made up 21% of the total U.S. new vehicle market in 2025.

CR-V was first introduced in 1995 and has gone through a series of updates since then. The sixth-generation package was launched for the 2023 model year.

The crossover has had modest upgrades since then, notably including the launch of a more rugged TrailSport package for the 2026 model year. That version has helped Honda tapped into the rising interest into off-roading and overlanding triggered by COVID-era lockdowns.

Honda has its own challenges

“During May 2026, nearly 1 out of 5 shoppers included the CR-V on their top 10 list,” Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds told Automotive News.

But the automaker is struggling to make sure it can supply enough of the crossovers to buyers who actually want one. It’s been racing to produce more of the crossovers at plants in Ohio and Indiana, as well as facilities in Canada and Mexico, but output ran just 1% more than last year through the end of May, reported AutoForecast Solutions.

And that could give Ford a chance to kick-start the F-150. The Novelis plant in New York was able to resume production last month. Ford hasn’t indicated how quickly it now can accelerate pickup production, but this should begin to solve its aluminum supply issue.