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Pickup trucks have only gotten more and more popular. Not just functional, the traditional pickup truck has become one of the most popular vehicles used by Americans for both work and family. And 2019 is proving that the pickup is stronger than ever. Here’s the month that’s experienced the most truck sales so far this year. Which trucks are consumers buying the most?

The month with the most truck sales so far

The 2019 year has been a great year for the truck market, with many truck brands experiencing an increase in sales this year. But August proved to be the most successful and fruitful month of 2019.

According to Good Car Bad Car, the month of August reached an impressive total of 301,348 truck sales. This total includes all compact, mid-size, and full-size pickup trucks sold.

Most automakers have experienced an overall increase in sales percentage in August 2019 over August of the previous year, as well as an increase for the entire year of 2018 as a whole. A breakdown of August 2019 truck sales for some of the most popular models include:

  • Ford F-Series: 78,907 units
  • Ram Pickup: 59,550 units
  • Chevrolet Silverado: 57,283 units
  • Toyota Tacoma: 27,010 units
  • GMC Sierra: 24,389 units
  • Honda Ridgeline: 3,302 units
  • Nissan Titan: 2,589 units

Why so many trucks were bought in August

Truck sales aren’t always so cut and dry. After all, there are quite a few factors that go into how many trucks get sold in a given month or quarter. Many brands’ truck sales are dependent or determined by the time of year, whether new models are coming/going, current incentives and promotions, and more.

This proves especially true for August, the month that has produced the most truck sales. According to AutoTrader, August was a tremendous month for incentives. All major truck brands, including Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, GMC, and Ram, offered a variety of cash allowance programs, special leasing agreements, and other incentives. Some trucks were even offered at up to 20% off MSRP.

Even U.S. News claims that August is the ideal month to buy any vehicle, as long you’re not looking for a luxury vehicle. Industry experts claim that,

“dealers start receiving shipments of next year’s models during the summer and are in the thick of summer sell-down promotions by August, when they face mounting pressure to clear the lot for incoming inventory.”

How 2019 compares to previous years

This year has proved to be a banner year for Ram pickups in particular. According to USA Today, Ram pickups have always placed a distant third behind Ford and Chevrolet in truck sales. But 2019 saw Ram trucks transition into the second spot, behind the Ford F-Series, for the first time. And Ram has remained in the second spot through all three quarters of the year, with a 14% sales increase just between the second and third quarters of 2019.

But Ram isn’t the only truck brand to see an increase in sales. According to The Motley Fool, by the end of 2019’s third quarter, General Motors experienced a 20% increase in full-size pickup truck sales over the same quarter in 2018.

Ford, however, seems to be falling from grace this year, with so many brands experiencing an increase in sales. The Ford F-Series reported a decrease in sales in the second and third quarters of 2019, but only a slight 6% increase over the previous year.

Overall, full-size pickup sales have risen 3% in 2019 over the same period in 2018, according to Trucks.com. Mid-size pickup trucks, on the other hand, saw an astounding increase in sales over the 2018 year, rising 18%.