Edmunds’ 2025 registration data reveals just how differently Americans shop for new vehicles depending on where they live. The Ford F-Series dominated with the No. 1 registration position in 29 states, while several SUVs and one electric vehicle captured the remaining states.
Edmunds’ figures cover new retail registrations to individuals and exclude rental and government registrations, giving a useful picture of private-buyer preferences. Seven different nameplates finished first in at least one state.
The results show a striking divide between truck-heavy markets and SUV-focused regions and states where electric vehicles have gained a stronger foothold.
1. Ford F-Series
The Ford F-Series was not merely another popular vehicle in Edmunds’ 2025 registration data. It was the clear state-by-state leader, finishing No. 1 in 29 of the 50 states.
That gives the pickup family a geographic reach that none of the other winners came close to matching. Edmunds also identifies it as the best-selling vehicle in the United States, reinforcing how deeply full-size pickups remain embedded in the American market.
The 29 states where the F-Series ranked first were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
That distribution is revealing. The truck dominates across much of the South, Midwest, and Mountain West, but its reach extends well beyond traditionally truck-heavy areas. Texas is perhaps the obvious example, yet the same registration leadership appears in states with very different geography and climate.
One reason for that breadth is the sheer variety offered within the F-Series family. The lineup includes light-duty and heavy-duty trucks, allowing buyers to select configurations for commuting, towing, farming, construction, and recreational use.
Edmunds describes the F-Series as offering a version for virtually every full-size truck buyer, with numerous configurations and options.
It is important to note that F-Series is a family rather than one single configuration, so specifications vary considerably. The figures below use the 2025 F-150 as the representative light-duty model.
2. Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 demonstrated that the dominance of pickups is far from universal. Edmunds’ 2025 registration data placed the compact SUV first in six states, giving it the strongest state-level showing among the non-truck winners in the supplied data.
Its success is particularly notable because it comes from a vehicle designed around everyday versatility rather than heavy towing or commercial work.
The six jurisdictions where the RAV4 led were Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Rhode Island, according to the published state-by-state compilation of Edmunds’ 2025 registration data.
The geographic pattern is quite different from the F-Series. These are markets where compact dimensions, fuel efficiency, easy maneuverability, and practical cargo space can be more important to buyers than the maximum towing capability of a full-size pickup.
That does not mean every buyer in these areas avoids trucks. Instead, the registration results show how local driving environments can influence which vehicle reaches the top.
Edmunds describes the RAV4 as America’s best-selling SUV and highlights its comfortable driving experience, straightforward controls, and useful cargo capacity. The 2025 model also represented the final year of the fifth-generation design before the redesigned 2026 model arrived.
The 2025 lineup offered gasoline and hybrid powertrains, giving shoppers multiple approaches to ownership. That variety likely helped the nameplate appeal to households looking for a practical daily vehicle without moving into a larger three-row SUV.
Its performance across individual states also reveals an important aspect of the 2025 market. A vehicle’s success within a particular state does not always mirror its position in the national rankings. Differences in local buying preferences can lead to very different results from one state to another.
3. Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado was the second most successful pickup in Edmunds’ 2025 state-by-state registration data, taking the No. 1 position in five states. Those states were Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, and West Virginia.
The Silverado’s five-state victory is significant because it shows that the Ford F-Series did not completely dominate America’s truck market. In several Midwestern and Appalachian markets, Chevrolet’s full-size pickup attracted enough buyers to become the single most registered new vehicle in the state.
The regional pattern makes sense when viewed alongside the Silverado’s traditional strengths. It is available in a wide range of configurations, from everyday pickups to heavy-duty versions designed for substantial towing and hauling.
Edmunds describes the Silverado as occupying a balance between size, capability, and value, with numerous configurations aimed at different truck buyers.
The Silverado’s success also demonstrates why state-level registration data can tell a different story from national sales rankings. A model does not need to dominate every part of the country to become the leading vehicle in individual states. Local preferences, employment patterns, terrain, and the popularity of pickup ownership all influence the result.
For 2025, the five states where the Silverado finished first were concentrated in the Midwest and nearby regions. Indiana and Iowa have strong agricultural and industrial economies, while Kentucky, Minnesota, and West Virginia also have substantial demand for vehicles capable of handling difficult roads, work equipment, and recreational use.
The Silverado lineup is broad enough that specifications vary significantly by configuration. The figures below represent a representative light-duty 2025 Silverado 1500 rather than the entire family.
4. Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V matched the Chevrolet Silverado with five state-level victories in Edmunds’ 2025 registration data, but its geographic footprint looked completely different. The compact SUV finished first in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, making it one of the strongest non-truck performers in the country.
Those results are especially interesting because four of the five states are among the country’s major population centers, where buyers may place a greater premium on maneuverability, fuel economy, passenger space, and everyday practicality than on full-size truck capability.
The CR-V has built its reputation around exactly those qualities. Edmunds lists it among America’s most popular vehicles and describes it as a practical SUV with a comfortable interior and strong usability.
Its success also reflects the broader shift toward SUVs in the American market. Edmunds reports that SUVs accounted for 60.9% of U.S. retail registrations in 2025, demonstrating how firmly crossover utility vehicles have moved into the mainstream.
Honda offers the CR-V with gasoline and hybrid powertrains, allowing buyers to choose between conventional propulsion and greater fuel efficiency. That flexibility can be particularly useful for households that want SUV space without moving into a larger, more expensive vehicle.
The CR-V’s state victories also show that America’s best-selling vehicle is not necessarily a truck. In densely populated parts of the Northeast and Midwest, the compact SUV format proved highly competitive.
5. Tesla Model Y
The Tesla Model Y stood out among electric vehicles in Edmunds’ 2025 state registration data, ranking as the No. 1 registered new vehicle in California, Nevada, and Washington. Its performance shows a distinctly different geographic pattern from the pickup trucks that led the market across much of the country.
California is particularly significant. Edmunds says nearly 50% of the state’s retail registrations were electrified vehicles in 2025, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs. The Model Y also remained the most popular EV nationwide, with more than twice the registrations of the Tesla Model 3.
The Model Y’s success comes from combining electric propulsion with the shape Americans have increasingly favored. Edmunds describes it as a small electric SUV offering substantial driving range, roomy seating, and useful cargo space.
That formula gives buyers some of the practicality associated with conventional crossovers while removing gasoline from the ownership equation.
Its three state victories also demonstrate that EV adoption remains highly regional. The F-Series dominates much of the South, Midwest, and Mountain West, while the Model Y was able to take the top spot in states where electrified vehicles have gained considerably more market share.
There is another interesting point in the data. The Model Y was still the nation’s leading EV despite Tesla’s changing market position. Edmunds reported that the Model Y accounted for 24.7% of U.S. EV market share in 2025, well ahead of the Model 3 at 14.6%.
6. Chevrolet Equinox
Michigan provided one of the most interesting exceptions to America’s pickup-heavy registration pattern. Edmunds’ 2025 data shows the Chevrolet Equinox as the state’s No. 1 registered new vehicle, making Michigan the only state where the compact Chevrolet SUV took the top spot.
The result is noteworthy because Michigan is the heart of the American automotive industry, yet its residents did not put a full-size pickup at the top of the registration table. The Equinox finished ahead of the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado in the state, according to reporting based on the Edmunds data.
The vehicle’s appeal comes from a straightforward formula. The Equinox provides the elevated seating position and cargo flexibility Americans expect from a compact SUV without moving into the size and price range of a full-size truck. The latest generation also brought sharper styling and additional standard driver-assistance technology, according to Edmunds.
Its Michigan victory also fits into the larger national movement toward SUVs. Edmunds reports that SUVs represented 60.9% of U.S. retail registrations in 2025, making the body style substantially more dominant than traditional passenger cars.
The Equinox’s national position reinforces that success. It ranked among America’s 10 best-selling vehicles during 2025, with industry sales data putting it at roughly 274,000 units for the year.
Michigan’s result therefore shows that even in a state synonymous with pickup manufacturing, buyers can favor a smaller and more maneuverable utility vehicle when price, practicality and technology align.
7. Toyota Tacoma
Hawaii was the one state where the Toyota Tacoma broke away from the larger national pattern and claimed the top registration position in Edmunds’ 2025 data.
While full-size pickups dominated much of the mainland, Hawaii’s most popular new vehicle was Toyota’s midsize truck. Edmunds identifies the Tacoma among the seven vehicles that finished first in at least one state during 2025.
The result is particularly interesting because the Tacoma is considerably smaller than the full-size pickups that dominated the state-by-state rankings. Its size can be an advantage in Hawaii, where road conditions, parking limitations, and urban environments can make a large truck less convenient.
The Tacoma also offers something beyond basic transportation. Toyota has built the model around a combination of everyday usability and off-road capability, with different cab, bed, and drivetrain configurations allowing buyers to tailor the truck to their needs.
Edmunds specifically highlights its wide variety of cab and bed combinations and its substantial off-road capability.
Hawaii’s vehicle market has also continued to favor light trucks and SUVs. Separate statewide reporting found that light trucks and SUVs accounted for 86.2% of new vehicle sales in Hawaii in the second quarter of 2025, reinforcing how strongly utility vehicles appeal to local buyers. The Tacoma held a 7% statewide market share in that period.
The Tacoma’s state-level victory therefore does not look like an isolated preference for one model. It fits into a broader Hawaiian market where pickups and SUVs dominate.
For the 2025 model year, buyers could choose between gasoline and hybrid powertrains, including the newer i-FORCE MAX hybrid system on selected versions. Because specifications vary substantially by configuration, the figures below represent the standard 2025 Tacoma configuration.
