As automakers began reporting May U.S. sales results on June 3, Ford Motor Co. led with a 16.3% year-over-year increase in May sales, marking its best performance for the month since 2019 and the third consecutive month of gains.
However, the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) dropped to 15.65 million units, down from 17.25 million in April and 17.83 million in March, according to Wards Intelligence. The 1.6 million-unit decline marks the most significant monthly drop in about five years, rivaled only by the pandemic-driven collapse in April 2020.
The downturn followed a surge in sales during March and April, when consumers rushed to make purchases ahead of anticipated price increases tied to President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on imported vehicles. That early-year activity likely pulled demand forward, contributing to the subsequent May decline.
Ford
Ford's surge was fueled by strong demand for trucks and hybrids, as well as steep discounts, though a sharp decline in EV sales and looming tariff pressures raise concerns about sustainability.
The automaker sold just under 221,000 units in May, driven by a 16% rise in truck sales and a record-setting 15,000 units sold of the Maverick compact pickup. Hybrid sales reached a new high as well, climbing 29% to nearly 23,000 units. However, Ford’s EV segment saw a 25% drop, with the F-150 Lightning falling 42% compared to the prior year.
Ford leveraged an “employee pricing” incentive — typically reserved for company workers — to all buyers starting May 1, offering discounts across its lineup. This move likely enabled Ford to capture market share from General Motors and Stellantis, both of which do not release monthly sales data and did not match Ford’s pricing strategy.
Ford’s promotion has since been extended through July 4.
However, the relief from discounts may be short-lived. Ford is raising prices on key models like the Maverick, Mustang Mach-E and Bronco Sport by up to $2,000 due to newly imposed 25% tariffs on vehicles produced in Mexico. Though USMCA provisions allow for some offsetting of tariff costs via U.S.-sourced parts, uncertainty around long-term trade policy remains.
Despite strong May numbers, automakers are still grappling with the long-term cost of tariffs. Ford estimates that 2024 tariffs will reduce its full-year earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by $1.5 billion, while GM warns of a potential $5 billion hit absent countermeasures.
Toyota
Toyota reported a 6.8% increase in U.S. sales, totaling 240,176 units in May. Its gains were led by a 16.5% rise in Camry sales and nearly 50% growth in Tacoma midsize pickup sales, both boosted by updated models. Still, Toyota’s SUV sales dipped 5.9% as it works through a generational refresh of key models like the 4Runner.
Honda
American Honda sales totaled 135,432 units in May on strong results from light trucks and passenger cars, and record sales for electrified models, supported by the success of all-new products for the Honda and Acura brands.
The Honda brand totaled 122,743 in May sales, up 7.3% over May 2024. Honda light trucks posted a third straight month over 80,000 units, up 8.2% year-over-year. Honda electrified vehicles set a new sales record for May with 37,035 units, while Civic hybrid set its own May record.
Acura brand sales totaled 12,689 units in May, powered by a strong performance of the all-new Acura ADX premium SUV. Acura sedan sales topped 2,400 units for the third straight month, with Integra logging sales of 1,776 while continuing to lead its segment with almost 40% of the retail market share.
Subaru
Subaru of America, Inc. reported 52,292 vehicle sales for May 2025, a decrease of 10.4% compared with May 2024. Subaru also reported year-to-date sales of 275,260, a 3% increase compared with the same period in 2024.
Crosstrek took the position as the top seller and achieved its best May ever with 15,793 vehicles sold, a 14.1% increase over the same month in 2024, and Forester was close behind with 15,434 vehicles sold. Outback sales reached 11,214 vehicles sold, while BRZ, Impreza and Legacy saw positive sales growth over the previous year.
Kia
Kia America delivered 79,007 total units in May — up 5% over the same period last year — and extended to eight its streak of consecutive months of year-over-year sales growth. Retail sales at Kia dealerships increased by 8% over May 2024 and are up 15% year-to-date.
The Carnival MPV, which introduced a new hybrid model last year, saw a 68% sales increase year-over-year. Additionally, popular SUV models such as Telluride (+12%) and Sportage (+10%), along with the sporty K4 sedan (+4%), all achieved their highest-ever May sales.
Hyundai
Hyundai Motor America reported May total sales of 84,521 units, an 8% increase compared with May 2024. Total sales records in May were set for Venue (+74%), Elantra N (+141%), Santa Fe (+0.3%), IONIQ 6 (+9%), Tucson (+15%) and Palisade (+10%). May total sales of hybrid vehicles jumped 5%. This was the best May ever for hybrid and total electrified sales.
Marking a significant milestone in its U.S. journey, in May the Hyundai brand surpassed 17 million vehicles sold since entering the U.S. market in 1986. In Hyundai's lineup, six models — Elantra, Sonata, Tucson, Santa Fe, Accent and Excel — have each sold over 1 million units, with the Elantra standing as the brand's all-time best-seller.
Mazda
Mazda North American Operations reported total May sales of 28,937 vehicles, a decrease of 18.6% compared to May 2024. Year-to-date sales totaled 176,913 vehicles sold, an increase of 6.1% compared to the same time last year. With 27 selling days in May, compared to 26 the year prior, the company posted a decrease of 21.6% on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.
CPO sales totaled 6,782 vehicles in May, an increase of 1% compared to May 2024.
Collision Repair Trends
According to CCC’s latest Crash Course Report, looking at collision repair data trends from Q1 2025, the U.S. car parc remains dominated by ICE vehicles, which account for nearly 95% of all vehicles on the road. This includes a mix of passenger cars, trucks, SUVs and other light-duty vehicles.
Within the light duty segment, data shows that SUVs and crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) now represent more than 50% of the car parc for model years 2020 and newer — up from about 35% in 2014 — while traditional passenger cars have declined to less than 20% in recent model years.
Data suggests that EV adoption has experienced significant acceleration, reaching approximately 4.2 million vehicles on the road in 2024 (hybrids account for about 9.6 million vehicles). While the volume of new EVs grew to more than 1.3 million units in 2024, the rate of growth continues to moderate at +7.3%.
The year-over-year change in new EVs sold was almost +90% in 2021, +66% in 2022, and +50% in 2023. This trend indicates that while EV adoption continues to expand, the pace of growth is leveling off after the initial surge.
The average age of vehicles on the road in 2024 has grown from 11.4 years in 2014 to an estimated 12.7 years in 2024 and is projected to reach 13 years by 2026.
For claims, the average age of vehicles has increased to 7.6 years — up from 6.9 years in 2020. The average age of repairable vehicles was 6.8 years in 2024 (up from 6.1 years old in 2020) and 10.6 years for total loss vehicles (up from 10.0 years old in 2020).
