Ford versus GM. That is the battle I’m watching in the 2026 Q3 truck sales results. GM says it is on track to lead full-size pickup sales for a seventh straight year, and it has completely redesigned Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks coming to dealerships before the end of 2026. Ford has its own F-150 updates coming, while Ram’s rebound is making this race more interesting.
Following our Q2 truck sales report, here is how the competition looks through September. The percentages tell the story below; the full sales totals are in the table.
Ford versus GM: The fight for full-size truck bragging rights
GM’s claim combines Chevrolet and GMC, while Ford’s F-Series remains the leading individual truck nameplate. Those are different ways of measuring the crown, but the showroom battle is real. GM wants another year on top with Silverado and Sierra together, and its next-generation trucks are arriving just as the sales race heads into its final quarter.
Ford’s conventional F-Series pickups gained 2.9% in Q3 but remained down 6.8% year-to-date. Silverado’s combined light-duty and heavy-duty sales rose 4.9% for the quarter, with a 13.3% light-duty gain overcoming a 10.1% HD decline. Sierra was nearly flat, down 0.6%, as its light-duty gains were offset by weaker HD sales. Through September, Silverado was down 0.7% and Sierra was up 0.3%. Toyota Tundra was also nearly flat for the quarter, down 0.7%.
The next round brings more than new paint colors. GM says the redesigned 2027 Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 will begin reaching dealerships in Q4. We have already covered the new V8 engines, Silverado engine choices by trim and new cabins that retain Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Ford is answering with its own 2027 F-150 updates, including a new base engine, expanded V8 availability and BlueCruise with Towing. We also confirmed start-stop changes and the removal of cylinder deactivation from the 5.0-liter V8. I’ll be watching whether those changes help Ford close the gap as GM rolls out its new trucks.
Ford also hit a production snag at the end of September. As we reported on the recent F-150 plant shutdowns, supplier problems interrupted work at Dearborn and Kansas City. Dearborn stopped production September 24 and was expected to remain offline through September 30, while Kansas City canceled its September 25 A-shift as parts availability remained uncertain. The stoppages raise another question for the fourth-quarter sales race: Can Ford keep dealers supplied while GM launches its redesigned trucks?
Ram’s comeback adds pressure
Ram pickup sales jumped 33.7% in Q3 and were up 24.0% through September. The light-duty trucks did the heavy lifting, climbing 72.8% for the quarter, while HD sales fell 6.0%. That is a strong rebound overall, even though the two sides of Ram’s business are moving in different directions.
The return of the Hemi gives buyers another reason to revisit the Ram 1500, alongside the Hurricane inline-six. Patrick Rall’s side-by-side Hemi and Hurricane comparison gets into the sound, acceleration and towing differences. The sales report does not break out engine choices, so it cannot tell us how much of this rebound belongs to the V8.
Midsize trucks: Frontier surges as Tacoma slips
Toyota Tacoma still leads the midsize field, although Q3 sales slipped 3.5%. Nissan Frontier went the other direction with a 37.5% gain. Tacoma remained up 5.1% year-to-date, while Frontier was up 39.6%. That gives Nissan momentum heading into its latest model-year updates.
The 2027 Frontier adds a Sport Edition package to the SV grade, with all-terrain tires, black exterior details and a more aggressive look. It is an update to the existing truck rather than a full redesign. Nissan also adds an available all-terrain tire package for SV buyers and an improved wireless charger in the PRO Convenience package.
Colorado gained 2.4% in Q3, Canyon rose 17.9% and Ranger increased 14.8%. Honda Ridgeline was up 3.3%, while Jeep Gladiator fell 9.2%. GM is giving its midsize pair another talking point for the next sales cycle: the 2027 Colorado and Canyon get the stronger TurboMax engine. More power gives shoppers something new to compare beyond discounts and trim packages.
Compact trucks: Maverick pulls away
Ford Maverick sales climbed 20.4% in Q3, while Hyundai Santa Cruz fell 24.7%. The year-to-date picture was less dramatic for Ford, with Maverick up 2.3%, but Santa Cruz remained down 28.2%. Ford continues to dominate this small field.
Maverick’s appeal now stretches from the hybrid with all-wheel drive to more performance-focused options. Our Maverick SV300T first drive explores the modified street-truck side of that market. Those are very different buyers, but both show how much room there is for a compact pickup to do more than serve as the cheapest truck on the lot.
Electric trucks finish the quarter lower
The electric pickup picture was much weaker. Silverado EV fell 58.0%, Sierra EV dropped 50.8% and the combined Hummer EV pickup/SUV line declined 72.9%. F-150 Lightning sales fell 97.1%. Rivian’s global deliveries rose 45.8%, but that company-wide figure includes SUVs and vans, so it is not an R1T sales result.
Our provisional Cybertruck estimate points to a decline of about 31%. That is a low-confidence estimate rather than a reported Tesla result; the assumptions are explained below the table. For now, the bigger story in this report remains the Ford-GM battle and whether Ram can keep its comeback going.
| Model | Q3 2026 sales | Q3 2025 sales | Quarterly % change | 2026 year-to-date | 2025 year-to-date | Year-over-year % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-size trucks | ||||||
| Ford F-Series (excluding Lightning) | 203,418 | 197,727 | 2.9% | 556,738 | 597,546 | -6.8% |
| Chevrolet Silverado (LD + HD) | 144,499 | 137,691 | 4.9% | 413,383 | 416,290 | -0.7% |
| Silverado LD | 100,221 | 88,460 | 13.3% | 279,614 | 262,540 | 6.5% |
| Silverado HD | 44,278 | 49,231 | -10.1% | 133,769 | 153,750 | -13.0% |
| Ram pickups (LD + HD) | 117,757 | 88,066 | 33.7% | 325,348 | 262,386 | 24.0% |
| Ram LD | 76,650 | 44,349 | 72.8% | 202,147 | 143,264 | 41.1% |
| Ram HD | 41,107 | 43,717 | -6.0% | 123,201 | 119,122 | 3.4% |
| GMC Sierra (LD + HD) | 84,929 | 85,436 | -0.6% | 252,639 | 251,845 | 0.3% |
| Sierra LD | 56,325 | 54,713 | 2.9% | 174,393 | 167,092 | 4.4% |
| Sierra HD | 28,604 | 30,723 | -6.9% | 78,246 | 84,753 | -7.7% |
| Toyota Tundra | 35,712 | 35,979 | -0.7% | 110,080 | 110,945 | -0.8% |
| Nissan Titan | 3 | 118 | -97.5% | 13 | 2,024 | -99.4% |
| Midsize trucks | ||||||
| Toyota Tacoma | 71,027 | 73,591 | -3.5% | 214,875 | 204,464 | 5.1% |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 25,170 | 24,575 | 2.4% | 72,863 | 77,390 | -5.8% |
| Nissan Frontier | 23,412 | 17,032 | 37.5% | 66,513 | 47,630 | 39.6% |
| Ford Ranger | 17,561 | 15,301 | 14.8% | 51,630 | 48,278 | 6.9% |
| Honda Ridgeline | 13,538 | 13,104 | 3.3% | 37,028 | 37,385 | -1.0% |
| GMC Canyon | 11,246 | 9,539 | 17.9% | 33,545 | 27,878 | 20.3% |
| Jeep Gladiator | 11,911 | 13,113 | -9.2% | 30,944 | 38,513 | -19.7% |
| Compact trucks | ||||||
| Ford Maverick | 41,970 | 34,848 | 20.4% | 123,681 | 120,904 | 2.3% |
| Hyundai Santa Cruz | 4,830 | 6,412 | -24.7% | 14,811 | 20,633 | -28.2% |
| Electric trucks and reported delivery groups | ||||||
| Rivian (global deliveries, all models) | 19,248 | 13,201 | 45.8% | 41,807 | 32,502 | 28.6% |
| Tesla Cybertruck (provisional estimate*) | ≈3,700* | 5,385 (est.) | ≈-31%* | ≈11,000* | 16,097 (est.) | ≈-32%* |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 289 | 10,005 | -97.1% | 4,770 | 23,034 | -79.3% |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV | 1,655 | 3,940 | -58.0% | 5,327 | 9,379 | -43.2% |
| GMC Hummer EV (pickup and SUV) | 1,423 | 5,246 | -72.9% | 5,024 | 13,233 | -62.0% |
| GMC Sierra EV | 1,661 | 3,374 | -50.8% | 4,705 | 6,147 | -23.5% |
How to read the table: Percentage changes compare the same period in 2026 and 2025 and are calculated from unit totals, rounded to one decimal place. Silverado and Sierra totals combine LD and HD trucks and exclude separately listed EVs; Silverado medium-duty trucks are excluded. Ram totals combine LD and HD pickups. Toyota and Honda Q3 totals are September year-to-date sales minus June year-to-date sales. Rows retain the Q2 report’s grouping rather than a strict sales ranking. Rivian is a global, all-model delivery total; the other rows cover U.S. sales. Approximate Cybertruck changes are rounded to whole percentages.
Hummer EV includes both the pickup and SUV. Rivian’s reported global totals include R1T, R1S, R2 and commercial vans, not R1T alone. Rivian’s year-to-date figure combines its three reported quarters.
*Cybertruck estimate methodology: No verified Q3 2026 U.S. model-level estimate was available when this draft was updated. We assume sales continued at roughly the Q2 pace: Cox Automotive/Kelley Blue Book estimated 3,744 Cybertrucks in Q2 and 7,263 in the first half. Holding Q3 near that pace gives approximately 3,700 sales and approximately 11,000 year-to-date (7,263 + 3,700, rounded). This is a low-confidence run-rate assumption, not measured Q3 sales; it does not account for changes in demand, pricing or delivery timing. The approximate year-over-year changes use Cox’s 2025 estimates of 5,385 in Q3 and 16,097 year-to-date. We will update the estimate when a credible Q3 model-level report is available.
Sources: Honda September sales; Honda June sales; Rivian Q3 deliveries; Rivian first-half deliveries; Rivian 2025 comparison; Cox/KBB Q2 2026 EV estimates; 2025 Cybertruck Cox estimates reported by WardsAuto; Ford Q3 sales; GM Q3 deliveries; Stellantis Q3 sales; Toyota September sales; Toyota June sales; Nissan Q3 sales; Hyundai September and Q3 sales.
