USA May 2026: Mazda (+35%), Honda (+10.5%), Subaru (+10.4%) impress, sedans up

Honda Accord sales are up 33.3% year-on-year in May. Picture caranddriver.com

The U.S. new light vehicle market edges up for the first time this year, albeit at a tiny +0.6% year-on-year in May to 1.48 million units according to GlobalData. Retail sales are up 0.6% while fleet shipments gain 2.5%. The year-to-date tally is down -5%. The SAAR stands at 16.2 million according to Motor Intelligence, up from 15.7 million in May 2025 and 16.1 million last month. AutoForecast Solutions says U.S. sales will drop -2.3% over the Full Year 2026 to 15.7 million units. Average transaction prices have stopped surging at -0.2% year-on-year to $46,023 according to GlobalData and JD Power, while average incentives soar 21% to $3,297. Average incentives as a percentage of sticker price is 6.4%, up from 5.4% a year ago. Non-EV incentives are up 24% to $2,973 while EV discounts are 11% higher to $10,308. An estimated 22.6% of buyers leased their car in May, up from 22.3% a year ago.

Among OEMs still sharing their sales monthly, American Honda (+9.9%) fares best with Hyundai-Kia (+2.7%) also in positive, Toyota Motor (-0.6%) is stable but Ford Motor (-13.7%) falls apart. Brand-wise, Toyota (-0.1%) is almost immobile while Ford (-13.4%) suffers. This is Ford’s 5th consecutive month of year-on-year drops. Ford EVs are down -44% and Ford SUVs off -21%. In contrast Honda (+10.5%) has a tremendous month, with hybrid sales reaching a record 42,583. Hyundai (+3.5%) is also pushed up by hybrids (+90%) as is Kia (+1.9%, hybrids up 179%). Subaru (+10.4%) and Mazda (+35%) both end nine months of volume losses just as Genesis (+2.5%) posts a 20th consecutive monthly gain.

Looking at models with available monthly data, the Ford F-Series (-13.3%) dives as two fires at a key aluminium supplier last year continue to disrupt production. F-Series sales are down -15.1% so far this year. The Honda CR-V (+19.3%) continues to fly well above its archenemy the Toyota RAV4 (-26%) which is still in the midst of a difficult generation changeover. The Toyota Camry (+14.2%) illustrates a new trend towards cheaper and more fuel efficient sedans as gasoline prices remain painfully high. As such, other sedans such as the Honda Civic (+4.6%), Toyota Corolla (+0.8%), Honda Accord (+33.3%) and Hyundai Elantra (+6.8%) are also up.

Previous month: USA April 2026: Accord helps Honda up, sales off -6.7%

One year ago: USA May 2025: Employee pricing sends Ford Motor up 16.4%, stable market

Full May 2026 data for selected OEMs, brands and models below.