With refund season fading and tariff talk on mute, May gave us a clean read on who’s winning customers on product alone.
Let’s start with the standouts: Hyundai and Kia extended their streaks with strong May results.
Hyundai sold 84,521 vehicles in May, up 8% YoY and 3.7% from April.
Driving the bump: Hyundai’s Elantra N (+141%), Venue (+74%), Tucson (+15%), and Palisade (+10%) all set May records. On top of that, hybrid sales were up 5%, and it was the best May yet for total electrified volume. Even the IONIQ 6 chipped in, up 9% YoY.
Meanwhile, Kia moved 79,007 units in May.
That’s up 5% YoY and 5.6% MoM—making its eighth straight month of year-over-year gains, powered by record Mays for the Carnival, Telluride, and Sportage.
Toyota stayed right in the mix, too.
The brand saw an 11% boost in May deliveries, its biggest monthly gain since last spring, per Automotive News.
And the real engine? Hybrids. Toyota moved nearly 119,000 electrified vehicles in May, up 39% vs 2024, accounting for almost half of its total volume.
Then came Ford, matching the energy with a solid May.
Hybrids did the heavy lifting, up nearly 29% YoY, while EV sales dropped 25% as the F-150 Lightning and E-Transit struggled.
That said, Lincoln crushed it.
The brand posted its best month of the year, up 39% YoY, led largely by a 133% surge in Navigator sales and a 42% jump for the Aviator.
Volvo Cars posted positive results for May too—with sales rising 14.7% year-over-year.
One thing to keep in mind: That strong May likely got a boost from Ford’s “employee pricing” offer, which stretched into June 2 and helped drive extra foot traffic.
Even without a headline-grabbing incentive, Honda held steady, backed by strong hybrid momentum.
Sales reached 135,432 units, up 7.3% YoY and 9.5% MoM.
CR-V, Civic, and Passport hybrids helped deliver a record month for electrified sales.
And Acura contributed 12,689 units, up 5% YoY but down 9.5% from April.
Now for the cooler side of the board: Subaru saw a dip overall, with May sales landing at 52,292, down 10.4% YoY and 6.6% from April.
That said, Crosstrek hit a record high with 15,793 units sold (+14.1% YoY), and Forester followed closely behind with another strong showing at 15,434 units.
Working against the nameplate was softer Outback volume and slower sedan sales, which offset the highs and pulled down the brand’s total.
Meanwhile, Mazda had the steepest slide.
May sales landed at 28,937 units, down 18.6% YoY and 23.2% vs April. The CX-70 notched a record, but the rest of the lineup lost momentum after a strong Q1.
Zooming out: The real story of May was about what sold. Not who slipped. And while Hybrids carried the month, EVs…didn’t.
Ford’s EV sales dropped 25% year over year, dragged down by slower F-150 Lightning and E-Transit demand.
Honda moved 2,558 Prologues in May, while Acura sold just 232 ZDXs, both still early in their rollout.
And at Hyundai, hybrids also drove the bump. The IONIQ 5 and 6 saw modest gains, but the brand’s biggest movers were gas or hybrid SUVs like the Tucson and Palisade.
Bottom line: Toyota’s a solid example of May’s signal, but the broader market also backed it up. Buyers want hybrids, right-sized SUVs, and real value. Because it’s strategy, not size, that’s driving wins.
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