Four segments drive over half of US new vehicle sales

S&P Global Mobility divides the US new vehicle industry into 33 segments by price, size and body style across 411 models on the market as of May 2025.  But this segmentation structure makes the industry appear more complex than it really is. 

While there are 33 segments, just four segments accounted for more than 50% of all new vehicle registrations in the first five months of 2025, while the 22 smallest segments together captured just 10%—proof that, despite hundreds of models, the market remains sharply focused.  

The top four segments, ranked by May 2025 year-to-date share, are: compact utility, upper midsize utility, subcompact plus utility and full-size half-ton pickup. 

Compact utility is the industry’s largest segment, with 21% of new retail registrations in May 2025 calendar year-to-date (CYTD). A customer wanting basic transportation will shop in this category, in contrast to 25 years ago when compact cars filled this role. All mainstream brands compete across 26 models, but just three account for 40% of sales, and the top seven capture two thirds.

Made up of all three-row utilities, this segment will remain vital as long as families need space. Its share rose just .2 percentage points year-over-year to 12.3% in May 2025 CYTD. The number of models held steady at 21.  

Korean OEMs and Toyota have created micro-segments within this category, and Hyundai, Kia and Toyota each offer three models. No models dominate: the three leading models account for just 29% of all segment deliveries, and just one (Grand Cherokee) exceeds 10%. 

The sub-compact plus utility segment had jumped from 2.1% to 9.2% of the market over the past decade. Early models with slightly larger specs than compact utilities gained traction and sparked a wave of competitors, creating the industry’s third-largest segment. 

As this segment grew, others faded. Traditional sub-compact utilities dwindled to just 1.1% (down from 2.6%), while compact car, midsize car, subcompact car and mid sport car segments dropped to a combined 12.2% share. 

The segment now includes 16 models, and four—Trax, Crosstrek, HR-V and Bronco Sport—make up 52% of sales May 2025 CYTD. 

Full-size half-ton pickups offer both commercial-grade utility and sedan-like comfort in crew-cab form. The segment’s market share has receded slightly from 9% 10 years ago to 8.2% this year.  

Only six mainstream models remain on the US market (and the Titan is only a marginal player)—far fewer than in any of the segments discussed above. The performances of the two segment leaders, F-150 and Silverado 1500, are strongly inversely correlated. The Tundra has plateaued after several years of share gains, and the Ram 1500 is rebounding after a steep 2023–2024 decline.

There are two compelling benefits of participating in this segment, including, 1.) OEM bottom line profits per unit are among the highest in the industry, and, 2.) having a foothold in this category provides the architecture for entry into the (also highly profitable) full size utility segment. 

Plickup owners in general are the most brand loyal of any body style cohort, and, at the segment level, full-size half-ton pickup households rank seventh in brand loyalty among the 33 segments. 

Despite hundreds of nameplates, the US new vehicle market remains highly concentrated. The focus on a few key segments will continue to shape automotive industry trends and guide future OEM sales strategies.