Most American-Made Cars Aren't Actually From American Brands
With Tesla losing two spots on the list, Japanese automakers now own six of the 10 most American-made vehicles and 12 of the top 20.
THE BREAKDOWN
- The 2026 American-Made List shows the most American cars of the year.
- There's a shakeup in the top 10 with six non-American brands.
- 12 of the top 20 come from Asian automakers.
Made in America. It's an important label that tells consumers where a product is manufactured and where its parts are sourced. With tariffs perpetually being in the news, it's especially relevant for new vehicles. The 2026 Cars.com American-Made Index ranks 86 vehicles based on several factors to determine which ones are the most American.
The list looks at final assembly location, US / Canadian parts percentage, country of origin for the engines / transmissions, and workforce location. You can read the full report at Cars.com, but we wanted to talk about some interesting shakeups in the top 20, specifically higher up in the list.
Here's what the top 10 looks like:
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model Y
- Jeep Gladiator
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Honda Ridgeline
- Honda Odyssey
- Lexus TX350
- Honda Accord
- Acura MDX
- Honda Passport
A few new entrants appear in the top 20 that were not as highly ranked last year. These include the Toyota Tundra at number 19 (up from 51), Kia EV9 at 17 (up from 67), Ford Explorer at 15 (up from 23), Lincoln Aviator at 14 (up from 28), Ford Expedition (up from 66), Lincoln Navigator at 12 (up from 69), and Toyota Camry at 11 (up from 24).
The following vehicles from 2025 fell out of the top 20 in 2026: Nissan Pathfinder (down to 51), Chevrolet Colorado (down to 31), Kia Sportage (down to 57), Jeep Wrangler (down to 23), and Honda Pilot (down to 32).
Tesla Model Y Standard
As for the top 10, this year's list does not include a change at the top or second place, but there is a new vehicle in the third spot, and there are now six vehicles out of 10 that come from non-American automakers.
The Tesla Model 3 retains its number one spot, and the Tesla Model Y keeps its place right behind it. Both the Tesla Model S and Model X were discontinued, so they dropped off the list, allowing the Jeep Gladiator to move up from number five into the third overall position.
The Ohio-built Gladiator earned Jeep the third spot, and the American automaker followed that up with a fourth-place finish with its Detroit-assembled Grand Cherokee. While America boxed out the top four, the next six are all owned by Japan. Honda takes the fifth and sixth spots with its Alabama-built Ridgeline and Odyssey, and Lexus slots in at number seven with the Indiana-made TX.
Honda finishes off the list with the Ohio-built Accord and Acura MDX at eight and nine, and the Alabama-built Passport rounding off the top 10 in the final spot.
Jeep Gladiator Rubicon X
Motor1's Take: While American automakers make the top four, most of the rest of this year's American-Made index list is occupied by Japanese automakers. That's not entirely surprising given how much Honda and Toyota have invested in US manufacturing over the last few decades.
The Latest From Honda And Toyota
Source: Cars.com
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