Hyundai Tucson Sales Hit Record as RAV4 Plunges 29%

The Toyota RAV4 lost nearly a third of its U.S. sales volume through September 2026, ceding ground to the Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V just as Hyundai unveiled a redesigned 2027 Tucson to capitalize on the shift. Year-to-date RAV4 deliveries fell 29.2% to 253,664, according to Toyota’s sales report, while the Tucson climbed 10% to 181,687.

That gap is closing fast. The compact SUV segment has historically been locked down by the RAV4, which held the title of America’s best-selling non-truck for years. But the 2026 numbers reveal a fracture. In September alone, the CR-V moved 34,788 units — up 21.9% — beating the RAV4’s 34,192 by 596 vehicles, per American Honda and Toyota data. The Tucson posted the sharpest monthly gain of the three, jumping 32% to 23,164.

Toyota reported third-quarter brand sales of 540,167, an increase of just 0.5%. For the first nine months of the year, the brand sold 1,613,846 vehicles, up 1.2%. The automaker did not explain the RAV4’s steep decline in its release. A breakdown of the nameplate’s 2026 sales shows 200,209 hybrids, 32,228 plug-in hybrids, and roughly 21,200 gasoline-only models through September.

Electrified vehicles accounted for 60% of Toyota’s total volume in the third quarter. The company delivered 325,227 hybrid and electric models, a 29.2% jump that suggests gas-only Toyota sales contracted by roughly 25%, though the manufacturer did not specify which combustion models absorbed the losses.

Honda captured the most raw volume growth among the three brands. Its third-quarter sales rose 9.3% to 358,388, adding about 30,000 units compared to last year. Passenger cars drove the expansion with a 20.9% gain, while light trucks grew 4.3%. Hybrid sales surpassed 106,000 for the quarter, a record for the brand. Year-to-date, Honda sold 1,045,593 vehicles, up 4.7%.

Lance Woelfer, vice president of auto sales at American Honda, attributed the performance to “a winning formula focused on affordability, record sales of hybrid models and a commitment to offer our customers a balanced lineup of passenger cars and light trucks.”

Hyundai finished the quarter with 246,896 sales, up 3% to a brand record. The Tucson’s 64,075 quarterly deliveries marked a 23% increase and the model’s strongest three-month stretch ever. Sedans contributed heavily. The Elantra gained 18% to 48,764, and the Sonata surged 34% to 17,273. Overall hybrid sales for the Korean automaker rose 35%.

Battery-electric models dragged. The Ioniq 5 plummeted 53% to 10,382 units for the quarter. The Ioniq 6 found just 107 buyers over the same three months.

Pricing remains tight across the segment. The outgoing 2026 Tucson SE starts at $29,700 with a 187-horsepower 2.5-liter engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai has not released pricing for the incoming 2027 redesign. The CR-V LX opens at $30,920 with a 190-horsepower turbocharged gas engine. The base RAV4 LE, now exclusively a 226-horsepower hybrid rated at 47 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, carries a $31,900 starting price before destination charges.

Buyers face constrained inventory. Honda reported 16 to 17 days of supply for key models, limiting trim and color availability at dealerships. Toyota stated its incentives remain among the lowest of full-line automakers, signaling no major factory discounts are coming to move RAV4 stock.