Over the last year, the car sales industry collapsed in the face of the global pandemic. This meant that people were able to save up more money than ever before and be geared up for the lifting of lockdown restrictions. Previously, 2015 held the record for the highest car sales, but the first quarter of 2024 alone has laid those figures to waste. 2024 saw the largest halt in the industry, a lack of availability, and a lack of demand. The cars that have suffered the most losses are passenger cars, which makes sense in the face of social distancing measures. Although it’s too early to say for sure how the rest of the year will pan out, we know right now it’s healthy. With that in mind, let’s have a look at the top-selling cars across Canada right now.
1. Hyundai Kona
In 10th place is the Hyundai Kona, up from 13th place last year. Interestingly, this is the only vehicle that didn’t place in the top 10 when the industry collapsed last year. What’s even more eye-opening is that the Hyundai Kona made waves during the darkest times of 2024, with sales increasing by more than half last summer. For better or worse, the Hyundai Kona has earned its place on the list.
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2. Toyota Corolla
The ever-popular Toyota Corolla comes in ninth, trailing behind the Honda Civic by a mere 42 sales. Quite often, when people think about a Corolla, they picture a car worthy of a 2007 world (the year the Corolla vanished). Luckily, Toyota has bought its A-game by bringing its hybrid Corolla into the 21st century. It’s open season in the race for the top spot for 2024, but so far it is reported that Corolla sales have dropped by 9 percent since last year.
3. Honda Civic
Far from a new entry, this consistent contender has found itself at a loss of 21% in sales. The Honda Civic has been the best-selling car a staggering 23 times, which makes this news even more disheartening for fans of the model. On the back of a decline in demand for passenger cars, Honda has upped their incentive-to-buy game in the run-up to their 11th-gen release later this year. By the end of the first quarter of 2024, the Honda Civic was standing in 7th place, it’s sad to see it fall another notch away from that top spot – which it hasn’t held since 2008.
4. Nissan Rogue
Powering through from 10th to 7th like a dark horse, the Nissan Rogue found an increase in sales of 67%. Since the Nissan Rogue was created in 2007, it rose to peak popularity across Canada in 2017 (selling 43,418 units). It only took two years for annual sales amounts to drop by around 5,000 units. Unfortunately, across the entirety of 2024, the Rogue only sold 25,998 units. Don’t despair too much though. In the wake of their highly anticipated update, Rogue sales are rising, and the car has become much more competitive.
5. Honda CR-V
Up by 26% compared to last year, the Honda CR-V was the best-selling Honda in Canada of 2024 (beating their 2nd ranked car by a staggering 0.6 margin). As SUVs go, this car sits at the height of the market and finds itself dominating the showrooms. However, despite its best efforts, it has been beaten by several other SUVs in the Canadian market. The Toyota RAV4 has seen exponential growth for example. The race to the top spot is still hot and there’s plenty of time for the places to shift.
6. Chevrolet Silverado
Since the market collapse of 2024, SUVs and pickup trucks are dominating car sales in Canada. Luckily, the Silverado hasn’t seen issues in the supply chain that some other entries have found. This has allowed them to raise their overall sales by 30%. This is impressive in comparison to the Ford and the Ram pickups seeing an increase of 6% and 11% respectively.
7. Toyota RAV4
We already mentioned the Toyota Rav4 previously, when discussing comparing the Honda CR-V to its competition. This entry has shifted up one position from last year, with an additional 5,000 sales on last year’s figure. These vehicles are working wonders in the current market, with a boom in demand for greener vehicles. The RAV4 pickup crushes the green scene with both a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid offering.
One thing to bear in mind if you choose to invest in the Toyota RAV4 is that the latest entries come on summer tires. If you’re planning on getting away during the muddy/snowy seasons, you will need to invest in some more winter-ready tires. Previous entries into the RAV4 line were made using all-year-round tires, so it would be interesting to know why the shift. That being said, the RAV4 stands up extremely well against its competition.
8. GMC Sierra
Coming in under the General Motors (GM) umbrella, alongside the sibling Chevrolet, the GMC Sierra has seen an increase of 41% in sales. If you were to combine the sales of the Chevrolet and the GMC, General Motors would easily dominate the Canadian SUV market. In the Canadian pickup truck market, GM owns a staggering 37% – which speaks volumes to their quality. The Sierra is a top choice for those of you looking for something with extreme comfort and convenience.
At number 3, this car has good potential for an increase in position over the year. However, being able to carry a haul of up to 9100lb, in comparison to the 12500lb the RAM is capable of, it may struggle to rise through the ranks until a more powerful model appears.
9. Ram Pickup
Driving in hot at second place, the RAM pickup is firmly locked in its place. In terms of increase in sales, the RAM saw only an 11% rise. When we consider all of the pickup entries so far, holding the trophy for second place is something to celebrate. Across the entire Canadian market, full-size pickup trucks account for 22% – the RAM makes up a quarter of that percentage.
10. Ford F-Series
Finally, we find ourselves face to face with the Ford F Series, capable of carrying 12,500lb. Despite facing significant supply issues in the face of the pandemic, the F Series has still come out on top. Since 2009, this model has been the number one top-selling car in the Canadian market – it will be interesting to see what will eventually knock them off their pedestal.
With a decline in demand for passenger-focused cars, full-size pickup trucks are absolutely dominating the market. Can the Corolla beat the Honda Civic? Can the RAM boost itself in the first place? Anything is possible this year. Trends have shifted and the market has aligned with the pickup sector. With a long way to go before the end of 2024, it will be interesting to see where everyone will stand in the running.
