May U.S. auto sales show hybrid leaders pulling ahead as demand holds steady

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.

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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