The Top Ten Most Popular Used Passenger Cars

Alderman Automotive’s business is used cars, and it is an interesting one. This means we sell models of all kinds from all different brands. If you are a new car dealer and a competitor model has become a hot seller, there is little you can do about it. However, if a used model is hot, we can arrange to get some in our inventory. Consequently, we keep up with what used vehicles are popular at any given time. 

There is a correlation between sales of a model when new and when used, and this makes sense. The more new models purchased, the larger the supply of models available for sale in the used car market. Consequently, the top three best-selling used vehicles are the three full-size pickup trucks from Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram. In contrast, among SUVs and crossovers, the Toyota RAV4 is the top-selling new vehicle that is not a pickup truck, while the Chevrolet Equinox leads the used car sales chart. 

For passenger cars, defined here as automobiles that are neither pickup trucks, SUVs, nor crossovers, the best-selling used cars closely mirror the new car sales list. The Camry ranks first on both the new and used car lists. It is the fifth best-selling vehicle overall and the top-selling new and used passenger car. The Civic takes second place on both the new and used lists, followed by the Corolla, which also holds the third position on both lists. 

From there, the list diverges slightly. The fourth best-selling new passenger car is the Honda Accord, which ranks fifth on the used car list; it is preceded by its Nissan competitor, the Altima. This is interesting because the Altima’s smaller sibling, the Sentra, sells better than the Altima when new. On the used list, the Sentra comes in sixth, after the Accord.  

Next is the Hyundai Elantra, the brand’s best-selling vehicle, second only to the Tucson crossover. Following that is the Chevrolet Malibu, the brand’s sole remaining sedan and passenger car for 2025, aside from the Corvette.  

In ninth place on the used chart is the Tesla Model 3, which is the only EV in the top 10. The better-selling Tesla Model Y did not make the top 10 in the used SUV/Crossover listing. Wrapping up the list as the tenth best-selling passenger car is the Kia Forte, which shares its platform with the Elantra and is the fifth compact sedan on the list.  

Supply is a significant factor in used car sales in ways that do not affect new cars. If a model sells well among new cars, the manufacturer can generally increase production to ensure supply meets demand, particularly for models in well-selling categories. As mentioned, the new car supply will influence the sales rankings of used cars, but another important factor is the length of ownership of new cars. A model may perform well in new car sales; however, if its owners tend to keep that model longer, supply will diminish in the used market.  

This leads to another reason Alderman relishes the used car business: the inventory is constantly changing. A snapshot of the Alderman Automotive inventory shows that we currently have four of the above-listed passenger cars. In a week or so, it may be eight. But you can be assured that if you are interested in a sedan, SUV, pickup truck, minivan, sports car, or luxury versions of all of the above, Alderman Automotive will have something you will want to see.