All-wheel drive is the most common drivetrain configuration among light-duty vehicles on U.S. roads, accounting for 39.4% of vehicles in operation as of June 30, according to Experian's Q2 2026 Automotive Market Trends Report. Front-wheel drive followed at 27.5%, four-wheel drive at 23.2%, and rear-wheel drive at 9.2%, according to the report.
A December 2025 Autobody News article found that new-vehicle prices holding near $50,000 coincided with a growing split in collision repair workload between complex, technology-heavy trucks and SUVs, and an expanding pool of older vehicles more likely to be declared a total loss.
Utility vehicles, four-cylinder engines lead vehicle mix
Utility vehicles, a category Experian's report defines to include crossovers and SUVs, made up 58.7% of U.S. light-duty vehicles in operation, followed by light trucks at 22.9% and passenger cars at 18.4%. New-vehicle registrations for utility vehicles also grew, reaching 59.0% of total second-quarter registrations, up from 57.4% in 2025 and 55.5% in 2022, the report found.
Full-size pickups were the single largest vehicle segment on the road at 16.6% of the fleet, followed by midsize crossovers at 13.6% and midsize cars at 12.2%. The Ford F-150 was the top individual model, representing 3.7% of all light-duty vehicles in operation, followed by the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 at 2.8% and the Toyota Camry at 2.3%, according to the report.
Four-cylinder engines made up 53.6% of the fleet, six-cylinder engines made up 23.1%, other configurations made up 11.9% and eight-cylinder engines made up 11.3%, the report found. Half of light-duty vehicles used naturally aspirated engines, while 33.9% used turbocharged engines. Imported brands accounted for 58.4% of U.S. light-duty vehicles in operation, compared with 41.6% for domestic brands, according to the report.
Fleet ages further out of warranty
Vehicles between six and 12 model years old, a segment Experian defines as the aftermarket "sweet spot" because they have generally aged out of manufacturer warranty coverage, made up 34.5% of vehicles in operation in the second quarter, down 2 percentage points from 2024 and up 0.6 percentage points from 2022, according to the report.
The report states that changes in the size of this segment can affect the businesses that service it. By vehicle category, 69.9% of utility vehicles were outside their manufacturer's basic warranty period in the second quarter of 2026, up from 69.0% in 2022; light trucks were 84.3% out of warranty, up from 83.5%; and passenger cars were 87.7% out of warranty, up from 85.0%, the report found.
Vehicles from model years 2007 through 2026 made up 81.9% of U.S. light-duty vehicles in operation, and those from 2002 through 2026 made up 91.7%, according to the report. A separate Autobody News article on CCC Intelligent Solutions' Crash Course 2026 report found that collision repair complexity is compounding as an aging vehicle fleet drives higher repair costs per job.
Electric and hybrid owners show high replacement loyalty
Among owners who returned to the market in the past 12 months, 72.2% of electric vehicle owners replaced their vehicle with another EV, while 18.5% replaced it with a gasoline vehicle, according to the report. Gas hybrid owners remained loyal to electrification at a rate of about 56% when replacing their vehicle, and plug-in hybrid owners did so at 57%.
Separately, 18.5% of gasoline vehicle owners replaced their vehicle with an electrified model, the report found. Electric vehicles made up about 2.1% of U.S. light-duty vehicles in operation, totaling 6.2 million, while all hybrid types combined made up 4.5%, or 13.4 million vehicles. B
Battery electric vehicle new retail market share was 6.2% in the second quarter, compared with 7.8% for full-year 2025, according to the report, which states that "retail share growth in EV continues to slow." The report's summary section separately describes the second-quarter figure as an increase, without specifying the period of comparison.
Manufacturers shift market share
By manufacturer, General Motors led new light-duty vehicle registrations in the U.S. in the second quarter at 16.6%, followed by Toyota at 15.8% and Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai and Kia, at 12.1%, moving ahead of Ford at 11.8%, according to the report.
By brand, Toyota led new registrations at 13.7%, followed by Ford at 11.2% and Chevrolet at 10.7%. The Honda CR-V remained the top-ranked individual model in new-vehicle registrations in the second quarter, at 3.0% of new registrations, followed by the Tesla Model Y at 2.6% and the Ford F-150 at 2.5%, the report found.
Experian plans to release its next quarterly report, covering the third quarter of 2026, in December.
