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SUVs are insanely popular. This is nothing new, SUVs are all over the roads and packed in parking lots. Are sport utility vehicles the most common vehicles in the United States? Overall, yes – except in eight states. In these states, just 16% of the country, other vehicle types top the list of sales. 

A white 2021 Ford Explorer parked on a boardwalk.
2021 Ford Explorer | Ford

In the other 42 states, Sport Utility Vehicles are number one. This is most illustrated in Massachusetts, where the percentage of SUVs is the highest, at 49.7%. And despite the popularity of pickup trucks, they’re in third place in all but six states, where they’re number two. Wyoming has the highest share of pickup trucks, at 37.2%.

So which states are SUVs the most popular in?

SUVs are number two in Florida

In Florida, 39.1% of the vehicles on the roads are SUVs. That’s just behind passenger cars, at 39.1%. 12.1% of the vehicles on the roads are trucks and 3% of the vehicles on the roads are minivans.

Nearly half the vehicles in California are passenger cars

In California, SUVs make up only 35.3% of the vehicles on the roads, according to iSeeCars. Passenger cars are number one in California, at 49.9%. Rounding out the top vehicles are trucks at 10.3% and minivans at 2.6%.

Cars edge out SUVs in Arizona

In Arizona, there are only slightly more cars than Sport Utility Vehicles, at 42.8% to 39.1%. There’s a larger percentage of trucks in Arizona than California, at 14%. Minivans make up 2.7%.

The number of cars and SUVs in Georgia is almost even

The number of cars and Sport Utility Vehicles in Georgia is almost even, but not quite. SUVs make up 39.3% of vehicles. SUVs are 40.6% of the vehicles on the roads. In third place are trucks, at 15.6%, and minivans are 2.6%.

Hawaii has the highest percentage of minivans

In Hawaii, 45.6% of vehicles are cars, while Sport Utility Vehicles are only 33%. Trucks are 14.2%. Although minivans make up the smallest percentage of vehicles on the roads at 5.2%, this is higher than in any other state. 

In Maryland, cars are number one

The percentage of cars in Maryland is slightly higher than SUVs, at 43.4% to 42.9%. Trucks are a distant third, at 10%, and minivans are just 3.2%. 

Nevada has more cars than SUVs

44.4% of vehicles are cars in Nevada, while 38% are Sport Utility Vehicles. 13.3% are trucks, and 2.4% of vehicles are minivans. 

It’s a close race in Virginia

In Virginia, the number of cars and SUVs is nearly even. 41.5% of the vehicles in Virginia are cars, while 40.9% are SUVs. 12.4% are trucks, and just 3.4% are minivans.

It’s worth looking at how the popularity of vehicles in different states impacts the price of used vehicles. In the states where pickup trucks are more popular, the average price for used cars is higher. 

The climate also plays a part in which types of vehicles are popular. Cars are more popular in warmer climates, with convertibles being most popular in Florida. 

Even though SUVs are still wildly popular, they’re not the most popular type of vehicle in all 50 states. Still, they’re the most common type of vehicle in 42 states, which is incredibly high. It will be interesting to see if the shift toward electric vehicles will change the popularity of types of vehicles in the future.

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