Cars and Drivers

The Best-Selling Cars in America of All Time

Aaron Webber

Published: July 17, 2024 11:30 am

Americans love cars. For a country that was still growing and finding itself when the modern car was invented, it’s no surprise that our cities, communities, laws, culture, and everyday lives have been designed around this one invention.

It’s nearly impossible to survive in modern America without access to a vehicle. Despite how normal this might seem to us today, this is extremely strange and unprecedented. Besides the fact that it is unhealthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. But, of all the cars we see, which ones are the most popular? Which ones have set the trend for generations? Which ones do we love the most?

Even if you are a fan of cars, some of our favorite cars might surprise you. So, we gathered the data and compiled this list of the best-selling cars in America of all time.

Why Are We Talking About This?

If you’re going to work in the auto industry or make any significant investment in an automobile company, it pays to know your history. Understanding where we came from and how the industry got to where it is today can help you see similar markers as they approach and make more prudent investment decisions.

#10 Ford Explorer

• Vehicles sold: 8,936,000
• Year launched: 1991

The Ford Explorer was the first four-door SUV that Ford ever produced and made as a replacement for the Ford Bronco and is the best-selling SUV of all time in the United States.

There have been over 240 deaths and 3,000 serious injuries from manufacturing defects in the Ford Explorer. Large truck vehicles inherently have a higher rollover risk than normal cars, and Ford (NYSE:F) disregarded concerns about its higher center of gravity and other defects. This resulted in the Ford Explorers having higher rollover rates than any other vehicle at the time. Even U-Haul refused to let drivers with a Ford Explorer rent their trailers due to the high risk of an accident.

#9 Oldsmobile 88

• Vehicles sold: 9,647,000
• Year launched: 1949

The Oldsmobile 88 was Oldsmobile’s most profitable vehicle line and became a flagship product for the company. It quickly became a best-seller after launch due to its light weight, V8 engine, and small size. Some car fans consider the Oldsmobile 88 to be the first muscle car, though they will continue to debate this title for many years to come.

Production for the Oldsmobile 88 (which changed its name to Oldsmobile eighty-eight in 1989) ended in 1999 with the tenth generation.

#8 Ford Mustang

• Vehicles sold: 10,200,000
• Year launched: 1964

The Ford Mustang is the longest-running car line for Ford and the fifth best-selling Ford vehicle overall. When it was launched, Ford executives predicted that it would only sell around 100,000 units every year, but its launch made it the most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A, and one million Ford Mustangs were sold within the first two years.

It was so successful that it has spawned many competitors and copies, such as the Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro, AMC Javelin, Plymouth Barracuda, and Dodge Challenger. It was the first car to ever with the Tiffany Gold Medal for excellence in American design, in 1965 and has won several car awards and recognition throughout its lifetime. It even has its own museum, the Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina.

#7 Chevrolet Malibu

• Vehicles sold: 11,300,000
• Year launched: 1964

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu was the first car to include a teen driver feature. This allowed parents to view and analyze their children’s driving habits and history like speed, warning alerts, and more. It even muted the radio until all the seat belts were buckled.

It sold its 10-millionth vehicle in 2016 and production of the Chevrolet Malibu ended with the ninth generation in 2020.

#6 Oldsmobile Cutlass

• Vehicles sold: 11,900,000
• Year launched: 1961

The Oldsmobile Cutlass was the entry-level vehicle for Oldsmobile and had several body styles and variants. It was the best-selling car in America for almost every year from 1976 to 1983 and it even found success during the oil crisis during the 1970s.

Production for the Oldsmobile Cutlass ended in 1999 with the sixth generation of the vehicle.

#5 Ram Pickup

• Vehicles sold: 12,135,000
• Year launched: 1980

The base Ram Pickup truck is classified as a medium-duty truck, despite what the marketing and truck fans will tell you. It has won the Truck of the Year award from Motor Trend eight times, and many other awards throughout its lifetime.

The Ram Pickup continues the trend of modern pickup trucks taking advantage of, and skirting around, U.S. fuel-efficiency laws by having a ridiculous hood height and vehicle sizes despite having a smaller amount of bed space than real working trucks. In fact, did you know that the terrible visibility of modern pickup trucks makes them more dangerous to drive on public roads than an M1 Abrams tank?

#4 Chevrolet Silverado

• Vehicles sold: 14,075,000
• Year launched: 1999

The Chevrolet Silverado is another medium-duty truck that is currently in its fourth generation. Like other trucks on the market today, the Chevrolet Silverado sits significantly higher than most other vehicles on the road, which means it has much larger blind spots that make people and other vehicles invisible to the driver. This makes the Chevrolet Silverado the second-most likely vehicle to be involved in the fatal car accident.  

#3 Ford Model T

• Vehicles sold: 15,000,000
• Year launched: 1908

It’s easy to make the list of best-selling vehicles in America when you’re the only one! The Ford Model T was the first mass-produced and mass-affordable car that made car travel available to middle-class people for the very first time. Due to the efficiency of its assembly line, the car only cost $290 in 1924 (about $5,156 in 2023).

This vehicle has been called the most influential car of the century and is seen as a symbol of American industry. It was so successful that it remained the best-selling car in the entire world until it was passed by the Volkswagen Beetle in 1972.

#2 Chevrolet Impala

• Vehicles sold: 16,700,000
• Year launched: 1958

The Chevrolet Impala was the banner vehicle for Chevrolet for most of its lifetime. It was the company’s best-selling vehicle throughout the 80s and earned several awards for its affordability. It earned the Car of the Year award from Motor Trend in 1977 and many more.

The vehicle’s popularity began to drop in recent years as consumers began to prefer crossovers instead of full-sized sedans. Production ended in 2020 with the tenth generation.

#1 Ford F-Series

• Vehicles sold: 40,000,000+
• Year launched: 1948

The Ford F-Series line of consumer pickup trucks is classified as a light-duty truck. The most popular variant of the F-150 lineup is the F-150 which is in the middle of its 14th generation.

The Ford F-Series has been the best-selling pickup truck in the United States since 1977 and became the best-selling vehicle in 1981, a title it has retained ever since. It has been the best-selling pickup truck in Canada for the last fifty years.

Like the other pickup trucks on this list, modern Ford F-Series trucks are a danger to pedestrians and other drivers on the road. Because of its ridiculously high hood height, people are invisible to the driver directly in front of the car, and when a person is hit by the vehicle, the impact hits parts of the body with vital organs, instead of the legs. The engine power and small bed size of these vehicles do not justify such an outrageous truck size, making these clown cars an expensive alternative to cheaper and more useful vehicles.