We’re now in the back half of 2026, which means one month closer to the “late 2020s.” Feeling old yet? As the year progresses, consumers continue to put their money down on new vehicles, with the latest sales results showing clear trends, signaling a major shift in the market.
With gas prices still unpredictably high, and the average cost of a new car continuing to hover around $50,000, consumers are seeking cheaper vehicles. Affordable models across the industry saw big increases in sales last month compared to the year before, including older offerings, like the Mazda3.
Hybrids were also quite popular last month as consumers sought ways to lower their prices at the pump, and brands that lack them suffered. Battery-electric vehicles also took a beating, with several models down by significant margins.
Unlike quarterly results, only a handful of automakers release a monthly sales report. We have data from Ford, Hyundai, Mazda, and a few others. Here are the July auto sales winners and losers.
Winners: Cheap Cars Are Having Their Moment
Photo by: Mazda
Across the board, affordable cars saw huge sales increases last month. The Hyundai Elantra and Mazda3 saw huge increases month-over-month. Mazda’s cheapest model even saw a major increase of 28.0 percent for the year, with 24,355 sold so far.
At Ford, sales for the Bronco Sport and Maverick were also up in a big way, while the Accord, despite its age, experienced a significant increase in July sales. Accord sales are already up 36.1 percent for the year, while Civic sales also increased last month.
At Kia, sales for the Seltos (likely with the arrival of the new version in dealers) are booming. They were up 79.1 percent in July and are up 38.4 percent for the year.
- Mazda3 — 87.5%
- Kia Seltos — 79.1%
- Honda Accord — 54.7%
- Hyundai Elantra — 39.0%
- Ford Maverick — 29.1%
- Honda Civic — 20.7%
- Ford Bronco Sport — 10.6%
Losers: Electric Vehicles Continue To Tumble
Photo by: Hyundai
July was a terrible month for electric vehicles, not unsurprisingly. That includes the Hyundai Ioniq 5, with sales of the popular hatchback down significantly compared to last month. Ioniq 9 sales also took a tumble.
At Ford, Mustang Mach-E sales declined drastically last month, and they are down 50.2 percent so far this year. Sales for the F-150 Lightning were down a whopping 95.0 percent as the automaker turns the pickup into a hybrid.
At Honda, the recently discontinued Prologue sold just 1,554 examples. Acura also sold zero ZDXs, down from 665 a year ago. So far in 2026, Acura has sold 108 electric crossovers, which it discontinued last September.
- Ford F-150 Lightning — 95.0%
- Honda Prologue — 75.4%
- Ford Mustang Mach-E — 64.9%
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 — 38.0%
- Hyundai Ioniq 9 — 35.0%
Winner: Hybrids Take The Top Spot
Photo by: Hyundai
High gas prices have consumers seeking relief at the pump and buying hybrids in record numbers. At Hyundai, hybrid sales increased 35 percent year-over-year for the month of July, with Sonata HEV sales jumping an incredible 85.0 percent.
Buyers also bought Honda’s hybrid in record numbers, with the Japanese automaker selling 36,000 hybrid vehicles last month. Accord hybrid sales were up 28.7 percent while CR-V hybrid sales jumped 18.4 percent. Civic hybrid sales actually declined by 6.8 percent.
At Kia, sales for the Sportage hybrid were up 76 percent. Seltos hybrid sales jumped 61 percent while Carnival hybrid and Sorento hybrid sales increased by 16 percent each. Kia hybrid sales jumped 108 percent last month.
Losers: Lincoln Struggles
Photo by: Lincoln
July was not a great month for Ford Motor Company as a whole. The mainstream Ford brand was down 9.1 percent for the month, but things were even worse for Lincoln.
The luxury brand suffered a 35.9 percent decline in sales compared to July 2025. Most of that decrease is from the Corsair, which saw sales tumble 92.8 percent. The automaker discontinued the model, alongside the Ford Escape, after 2025.
The rest of the lineup was better. Sales for the Nautilus and Aviator were down 31.8 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively. Navigator sales declined 2.5 percent last month, while overall Lincoln sales are down 12.6 percent for 2026.
Winner: Subaru WRX Sales Boom
Photo by: Subaru
The Subaru WRX recorded a stunning 214.7 percent increase in sales last month. The automaker sold 1,438 examples of the sedan, with 8,546 sold so far this year, which is a 24.1 percent increase compared to the first seven months of 2025. The model continues a sales boom that started earlier this year.
After an abysmal sales year, the automaker cut the WRX’s starting price by more than $5,000 for the 2026 model year, which has translated into real results. Despite the WRX, Subaru sales were only up 0.8 percent for the month, and they remain down 3.7 percent for the year.
Sources:
Ford, Kia, Mazda, Honda, Hyundai
