The best-selling cars of 2021

In this article, you will see the rankings of the 11 to 20 the best-selling cars of 2021 and the sales volume of each of them.

11.Toyota Tacoma, 252,520 Sold, Up 5.7%

Sales for the Toyota Tacoma were up 5.7% for the full year, despite a slow Q4, in which sales were down 31% vs. a year ago,

likely due to the computer chip shortage. In 2021, the Toyota Tacoma outsold its three biggest-selling midsize competitors combined,

the Chevrolet Colorado, the Nissan Frontier, and the Ford Ranger.

12. GMC Sierra, 248,924 Sold, Down 1.6%

In relative terms, sales of the GMC Sierra outperformed its sibling, the Chevrolet Silverado.

Sales fell in Q4 for both big pickups, but for the full year, the GMC Sierra finished the year only slightly behind 2020, while the Chevy Silverado was down 11.4%.

Parent GM has made a point of saying that in light of the computer chip shortage it has been steering scarce chips to its most profitable models.

No doubt both models are highly profitable, but between the two, that’s more likely the GMC Sierra.

13.Toyota Corolla, 229,785 Sold, Up 5.5%

Like most of the Top 20 biggest sellers for 2021, sales fell sharply for the Toyota Corolla in the fourth quarter — down 55.2% vs.

a year ago — because Toyota nearly ran out of new cars to sell at the end of the year, due to short supplies and high demand.

The Toyota Corolla sales total shown here doesn’t include the Toyota Corolla Cross, a crossover which debuted in June 2021.

Toyota and auto industry analysts define the Toyota Corolla Cross as a light truck, even though it’s based on the sedan.

14. Ford Explorer, 219,871 Sold, Down 2.8%

The Ford Explorer is a perennial top-selling SUV, but the Jeep Grand Cherokee overtook Explorer in 2021, thanks in part to Jeep’s better availability in the second half.

Ford Explorer sales were down 29% in Q3 vs. a year earlier, and down 9.6% in Q4, while Jeep Grand Cherokee sales improved.

The Ford Explorer was redesigned in 2019 for the 2020 model year, but availability got off to a slow start due to problems launching the new model,

and then the pandemic overtook the whole industry.

15. Jeep Wrangler, 204,609 Sold, Up 1.6%

Jeep Wrangler sales fell in Q4, and that dragged down sales result s for the full year to just a small improvement over 2020

. After three quarters, sales had been up more than 10%. Not counting fleet sales, parent company Stellantis said that in 2021,

the Jeep Wrangler had its best retail sales since 2018. Additions to the lineup in 2021 included the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, a plug-in hybrid.

Stellantis says the Jeep brand will lead its charge into electrification, including battery-electric vehicles, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids.

16.Honda Accord, 202,676 Sold, Up 1.6%

The Honda Accord lineup got some significant upgrades in the fall of 2020 for the 2021 model year, including the Accord Sport SE version,

and upgrades to the 2021 Accord Hybrid that improved acceleration and increased electric-only range.

The Accord Sport SE package accounts for around two-thirds of Accord sales, said Michael Kistemaker,

assistant vice president of Honda National Sales. “People don’t want stripped-down vehicles,” he said in a phone interview.

17. Tesla Model Y, 190,395 Sold, Up 191.1%

The Tesla Model Y crossover is far and away the brand’s biggest seller, followed by the Model 3 passenger car, which shares the same platform.

The Tesla Model Y by itself accounted for 54% of Tesla’s total U.S. sales in 2021, according to estimated U.S. sales numbers from Motor Intelligence.

Tesla surprised auto industry analysts by outperforming expectations for the fourth quarter,

in terms of production and sales, according to Joseph Spak, analyst for RBC Capital Markets.

18. Mazda CX-5, 168,448 Sold, Up 15%

The Mazda CX-5 is the brand’s best-seller by far in the U.S. market.

By itself, it accounted for 51% of total U.S. volume for Mazda in 2021.

Sales of the Mazda CX-5 were off late in the year, though, including a drop of 26.2% in Q4, vs. a year ago.

Through the third quarter, year-to-date sales of the Mazda CX-5 were up around 33%.

19. Chevrolet Equinox, 165,323 Sold, Down 39%

The Chevy Equinox crossover SUV got a facelift in 2021 for the 2022 model year, including new front and rear exterior styling,

a new grille, and new LED headlights and LED fog lights.

However, sales for the Chevy Equinox were down 39% for the full year, and down more than 80% in the fourth quarter.

That suggests it wasn’t a priority for GM’s scarce computer chips at the end of the year.

Wednesday, GM CEO Mary Barra announced the Equinox EV with a base price around $30,000, but it’s a 2023 model.

20. Subaru Forester, 154,723 Sold, Down 12.6%

The Subaru Forester is Subaru’s compact crossover SUV. Because inventories were so low, its Q4 sales were down 47.6% vs.

a year ago. The Subaru brand had a bulletproof reputation after its sales increased 12 years in a row, including straight through the Great Recession,

but the streak ended in 2020, due to the pandemic, and now the computer chip shortage.

Jeff Walters, senior vice president of sales, said in a phone interview he expects sales to rebound in 2022, assuming availability increases.

Now you know the best-selling cars of 2021.