Hyundai is giving its top-selling vehicle a new design, and the Tucson is coming off its strongest quarter so far. According to Hyundai’s third-quarter report, Tucson sales hit 64,075, a 23% jump from last year and a quarterly record, as the company announces the completely new 2027 Tucson. That growth outpaces the Honda CR-V, which is up 16.6% to its own record of 110,730, based on American Honda’s report.
Honda is growing the fastest at the brand level. Honda is up 9.3% to 358,388 and Hyundai 3% to a record 246,896, while the Toyota brand grows only 0.5% to 540,167, per Toyota’s report.
In September, The Tucson Gains 32% As The RAV4 Slips
September 2026 | Sales | Change |
Honda CR-V | 34,788 | +21.9% |
Toyota RAV4 | 34,192 | -6.6% |
Hyundai Tucson | 23,164 | +32% |
Toyota gives RAV4 sales for each month and for the year so far, not for each quarter, which means September is the one stretch all three have in common. The CR-V beat the RAV4 by 596 vehicles, but the Tucson had the largest gain over last year. For the whole third quarter, the CR-V went up 16.6% to 110,730, and the Tucson climbed 23% to 64,075.
Hyundai
The picture so far this year is even sharper. RAV4 sales through September are down 29.2%, to 253,664, while the Tucson has climbed 10%, to 181,687. In its September report, Toyota breaks the RAV4’s 2026 sales into 200,209 hybrids, 32,228 plug-in hybrids, and roughly 21,200 that are neither. Toyota’s release doesn’t say why the decline happened.
Hyundai’s sedans grew as well. The Elantra went up 18% to 48,764, and the Sonata rose 34% to 17,273. Hyundai’s hybrid sales also climbed 35% in the quarter. Its EVs dropped, though. The Ioniq 5 fell 53% to 10,382, and in three months Hyundai sold 107 Ioniq 6s.
Related: Honda CR-V vs Toyota RAV4: 2026 Sales Reveal a Stunning Reversal
Honda Grows Fastest Of The Three Brands
2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport Hybrid
Cole Attisha
Brand | Q3 2026 | Change | Jan. To Sept. 2026 | Change |
Toyota | 540,167 | +0.5% | 1,613,846 | +1.2% |
Honda | 358,388 | +9.3% | 1,045,593 | +4.7% |
Hyundai | 246,896 | +3% | 697,464 | +3% |
Toyota excludes Lexus, Honda excludes Acura, Hyundai excludes Genesis.
In unit terms, Honda gained roughly 30,000 sales compared with last year’s third quarter, while Hyundai picked up 7,827 and Toyota fewer than 3,000. Honda’s growth comes from cars, which rose 20.9%, and light trucks, which went up 4.3%, and its hybrids passed 106,000, a record for a quarter.
Lance Woelfer, who is vice president of auto sales at American Honda, gives credit 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.”
Electrified Vehicles Make Up 60% Of Toyota Brand Sales
Kristen Brown/Autoblog
Toyota moved 325,227 electrified vehicles for the quarter, a 29.2% jump, or about six out of every ten Toyotas. Since the brand’s overall number stayed almost flat, our math puts gas-only Toyotas down about a quarter, though the release doesn’t name which models. In September, Toyota sales climbed 7.9% to 171,469.
Related: Toyota’s Hybrid SUVs Are Selling Fast, But Its $29,795 Model Lost 43% (add link in CMS)
Verdict: Honda Has The Strongest Quarter
Of the three brands, Honda had the best overall quarter, gaining more sales than either competitor. Among the three compact SUVs, the Tucson’s 32% jump in September stood out the most, while the RAV4 was the only one of the three to fall in September, and its sales are down 29.2% for the year.
If you’re shopping:
- Outgoing Tucson: The 2026 Tucson has a starting price of $29,700. Hyundai’s sales release doesn’t include pricing for the redesigned 2027 model.
- Supply: Honda says it has 16 to 17 days of supply for key models, so a certain trim or color may be tougher to find at some dealerships.
- Discounts: Toyota says its incentives are among the lowest of full-line automakers, so don’t count on large factory discounts on a RAV4.
2026 Model | Base Trim | Powertrain | Drivetrain | Starting Price |
Hyundai Tucson | SE | 187-hp 2.5-liter gas, 8-speed automatic | FWD (AWD available) | $29,700 |
Honda CR-V | LX | 190-hp turbocharged gas | FWD (AWD available) | $30,920 |
Toyota RAV4 | LE | 226-hp hybrid, 47/40 mpg city/highway | FWD (AWD available) | $31,900 |
Prices before destination. The RAV4 LE is a hybrid, while the Tucson SE and CR-V LX are gas models, so the base prices are not like for like.
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