There has long been a debate between car enthusiasts about the merits of American vs foreign-made vehicles. The fact is: while there are plenty of American-owned car brands, outsourcing of parts manufacturing and assembly has meant that there are very few cars anyone could fairly call “100% American-made.” A study published this summer found that Tesla, the electric car company owned by Elon Musk, is the only major car brand that produces cars entirely domestically. The study, an annual report published by Cars.com, found that iconic American automaker Ford ranks second to Tesla as a brand, with 77.5% of its total U.S. auto sales coming from cars produced here.
Looking at individual models, however, the study found that car buyers here who care about their car being produced using American parts, in American factories, with American workers, should look to other brands, including many that most would not even think of as being American at all.
To identify the 25 most American-made cars, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Cars.com’s latest American-Made Index for 2023. The study reviewed 388 vehicles sold in the United States and scored each based on five criteria: assembly location, parts content, engine origin, transmission origin, and U.S. manufacturing workforce. Sales figures came from GoodCarBadCar.net, and are for the first quarter of 2023, the most recent available data. We listed the top 25 most American-made cars as per Cars.com – from least to most American-made.
The Cars.com report ranked individual brands, but also reported the shares of car brands sold in the U.S. that were assembled domestically. Comparing these two lists shows that while some car makers tend to manufacture a large proportion of their cars outside of the country, they can have certain models that are very American in origin. (Also check out: America’s best and worst new car brands.)
In the case of the German automaker Volkswagen AG — which owns brands including the namesake as well as European luxury and sports brands such as Audi, Lamborghini, and Porsche — just 21.1% of 2023 model year cars sold in the U.S. market are tied to domestic production. Still, not all Volkswagen’s brands have so few parts American made, and the company’s new EV SUV, the ID.4, which is built at the company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, ranks sixth on this list of the most American-made cars.
While there are dozens of American car brands, including several large ones, only a few of the 25 most American-made cars are from American brands. In fact, Tesla’s four models make up half that group, with Jeep, Dodge, Chevrolet, and Lincoln each having one entry.
Surprisingly, while Ford as a manufacturer ranks as one of the brands with the highest percentage of total U.S. production, it does not have a single entry in the top 25. Meanwhile, Japanese brands dominate the list, with 14 models in the top 25. Honda has five models, including the Pilot, which ranks fifth. (Find if any are also among the deadliest cars to drive in America.)
These are the cars that are still mostly made in America.
Source: Courtesy of Jeep
25. Jeep Wrangler
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 37,971 — #22 most out of 290
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24. Kia Sportage
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 31,684 — #29 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Infiniti
23. Infiniti QX60
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 7,138 — #121 most out of 290
Source: Courtesy of Toyota
22. Toyota Highlander
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 55,344 — #12 most out of 290
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Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
21. Dodge Durango
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 17,467 — #63 most out of 290
20. Nissan Pathfinder
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 23,770 — #43 most out of 290
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19. Chevrolet Corvette
> Type: Coupe
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 7,904 — #110 most out of 290
Source: Courtesy of Toyota
18. Toyota Sequoia (HEV)
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Hybrid
> US sales, Q1 2023: 4,384 — #155 most out of 290
Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
17. Kia K5
> Type: Sedan
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 14,288 — #78 most out of 290
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Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
16. Lincoln Corsair
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 4,023 — #163 most out of 290
Source: Courtesy of Honda
15. Honda Pilot
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 24,704 — #42 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Acura
14. Acura TLX
> Type: Sedan
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 3,720 — #169 most out of 290
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Source: Jesse Grant / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
13. Acura Integra
> Type: Hatchback
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 7,706 — #113 most out of 290
Source: Artistic Operations / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
12. Toyota Tundra
> Type: Pickup truck
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 27,651 — #37 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Honda
11. Honda Accord
> Type: Sedan
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 42,806 — #19 most out of 290
Source: Courtesy of Acura
10. Acura RDX
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 6,809 — #125 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Honda
9. Honda Ridgeline
> Type: Pickup truck
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 12,918 — #86 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Acura
8. Acura MDX
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 15,223 — #73 most out of 290
Source: Courtesy of Honda
7. Honda Odyssey
> Type: Minivan
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 19,902 — #52 most out of 290
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Source: Roman Nurutdinov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
6. Volkswagen ID.4 (EV)
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Electric vehicle
> US sales, Q1 2023: 9,758 — #101 most out of 290
Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
5. Honda Passport
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Internal combustion engine
> US sales, Q1 2023: 11,419 — #92 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Tesla
4. Tesla Model S
> Type: Sedan
> Powertrain: Electric vehicle
> US sales, Q1 2023: 16,000 — #68 most out of 290
3. Tesla Model X
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Electric vehicle
> US sales, Q1 2023: 6,001 — #134 most out of 290
Source: Courtesy of Tesla
2. Tesla Model 3
> Type: Sedan
> Powertrain: Electric vehicle
> US sales, Q1 2023: 63,001 — #10 most out of 290
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Source: Courtesy of Tesla
1. Tesla Model Y
> Type: SUV
> Powertrain: Electric vehicle
> US sales, Q1 2023: 85,000 — #4 most out of 290
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