Ever since Ford brought the Bronco back from the automotive grave, there have been numerous comparisons to the Jeep Wrangler. There’s currently a rivalry between the two so intense that there was a major debate about whether Bronco drivers would receive the ‘Jeep Wave’ or not.

Recent sales figures may lead Wrangler fans to believe the Jeep is in the lead, but there’s one notable factor that changes the data quite a bit.

The Jeep Wrangler outsold the Ford Bronco

GoodCarBadCar has updated its sales data, and the numbers are very clear. The Wrangler has completely obliterated the Bronco in year-to-date sales.

The total number of Wranglers sold‌ for the 2023 year so far is 84,642. The Bronco only sold 58,580 by comparison. This is a difference of 26,062 vehicles, which is an undeniable gap. 

If you dig a little deeper, then the Wrangler sold 46,671 vehicles in the second quarter of 2023. The Bronco once again fell behind by only selling 33,272 models. Both saw a drop in sales from Q2 2022. In this case, the Bronco saw a drop of around 5,000 vehicles, while the Wrangler lost 7,000.

In spite of this setback for both vehicles, it’s clear that consumers prefer the Wrangler to the Bronco. Or do they?

There’s more to the data

The Wrangler was an odd vehicle, even before the Bronco came along to give it some much-needed competition. Because it’s available as both a two-door and a four-door vehicle, it can be considered both a compact and midsize SUV.

Given this, it would be fairer to add in the Bronco Sport when comparing the sales numbers. If you do this, then you’ll notice that the Bronco Sport has sold 63,143 vehicles. That’s still not enough to top the Wrangler’s sales. Still, if you combine the Bronco and Bronco Sport, the total becomes 121,723. This is a difference of 37,081.

Even though the Bronco Sport doesn’t have similar features to the Wrangler, such as the ability to remove the top, it’s still one of Ford’s best sellers. It also has enough in common with its older sibling to compare the two.

Are there other factors affecting Bronco sales?

Something else to consider when comparing the sales numbers is there may be more Bronco customers than there are available Broncos. One of the major setbacks plaguing the Bronco is a supply issue. Thanks to the chip shortage, as well as other supply restraints, Ford is not able to produce enough to meet the consumer demand.

Things are so bad for the Bronco that when it came time to order a 2023 model, it was unclear which models were available, if certain advertised options were still on the table, or when the Bronco would be delivered. 

It’s hard to imagine that this wouldn’t have a direct impact on the Bronco’s sales number. It may even be a number of years before we know exactly how well the Bronco can perform, when there are more models on the market than consumers are willing to buy. 

The Wrangler doesn’t seem to be hindered by any supply issues currently. The Wrangler 4xe is Jeep’s current bestseller, and while consumers can’t seem to get enough of it, there are still plenty of Wranglers sitting in dealerships without a home.

Because of this, even though the Wrangler may have more sales numbers, it’s very possible that the Bronco is the more popular vehicle. Perhaps when the Bronco is able to amp up production, we’ll have clearer data to go by.