The Most Popular Car in Every State
Check out this list of the most popular cars in America.
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There are hundreds of different car models available for sale to consumers, but even with all that variety, only 10 make the list as the most popular cars in all 50 states. Insurify, a website that lets users compare car insurance quotes, compiled data from more than 1.6 million car insurance applications to determine which cars are driven the most in each of the 50 states.
The Honda Accord proved to be the top dog in the survey, ranking as the most commonly driven car in a whopping 13 individual states. The Honda Civic is close behind, ranking first in eight states. Combined, Honda models are the most popular car in more than 40% of U.S. states.
One of the more interesting findings of the study is that there’s a strong regional attraction to particular cars. For example, the Chevy Impala ranks No. 1 in seven states — and they’re all contiguous states in the upper Midwest. If you’re from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota or Wisconsin, you’re likely to know a lot of people driving an Impala. Similarly, the Nissan Altima holds court in the South, with the car ranking as the most popular in seven states stretching from Texas to Tennessee.
Overall, the rankings are dominated by just five brands: Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Chevrolet. The lone outlier is the Subaru Legacy, which takes the title in Vermont. With the exception of the Ford Explorer, which is an SUV, all of these cars have an MSRP of less than $28,000, which no doubt contributes to their popularity. Three cars — the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Ford Focus — have an MSRP below $20,000.
One of the advantages of driving a car that’s popular in your state is that you’re likely to find plenty of parts and repair shops that can service your car. Another is that your car is likely to be reliable; otherwise, there wouldn’t be as many still out on the road.
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t choose your vehicle based on its popularity with your neighbors. However, there are good reasons why most of these car models make the list. If you’re shopping for a new car, take a look at these popular models and see why your fellow Americans think so highly of them.
Alabama
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Alaska
- Most popular car: Ford Explorer
Arizona
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
Arkansas
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
California
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
Colorado
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Connecticut
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Delaware
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Florida
- Most popular car: Toyota Corolla
Georgia
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Hawaii
- Most popular car: Toyota Corolla
Idaho
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
Illinois
- Most popular car: Toyota Camry
Indiana
- Most popular car: Chevy Malibu
Iowa
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Kansas
- Most popular car: Ford Focus
Kentucky
- Most popular car: Toyota Camry
Louisiana
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Maine
- Most popular car: Ford Focus
Maryland
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Massachusetts
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
Michigan
- Most popular car: Chevy Malibu
Minnesota
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Mississippi
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Missouri
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Montana
- Most popular car: Ford Explorer
Nebraska
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Nevada
- Most popular car: Toyota Camry
New Hampshire
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
New Jersey
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
New Mexico
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
New York
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
North Carolina
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
North Dakota
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Ohio
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
Oklahoma
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Oregon
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Pennsylvania
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Rhode Island
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
South Carolina
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
South Dakota
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Tennessee
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Texas
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
Utah
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Vermont
- Most popular car: Subaru Legacy
Virginia
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
Washington
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
West Virginia
- Most popular car: Ford Focus
Wisconsin
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
Wyoming
- Most popular car: Ford Explorer
More on Cars and Money
- Top 8 Hidden Costs of Taking Out an Auto Loan
- Pros and Cons of Rent-to-Own Cars
- Best Investment Apps of 2019-2020
- Best Online Brokerages of 2019-2020
Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the images may not reflect the specific car models and/or trims listed in this article.
About the Author
John Csiszar
After earning a B.A. in English with a Specialization in Business from UCLA, John Csiszar worked in the financial services industry as a registered representative for 18 years. Along the way, Csiszar earned both Certified Financial Planner and Registered Investment Adviser designations, in addition to being licensed as a life agent, while working for both a major Wall Street wirehouse and for his own investment advisory firm. During his time as an advisor, Csiszar managed over $100 million in client assets while providing individualized investment plans for hundreds of clients.
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There are hundreds of different car models available for sale to consumers, but even with all that variety, only 10 make the list as the most popular cars in all 50 states. Insurify, a website that lets users compare car insurance quotes, compiled data from more than 1.6 million car insurance applications to determine which cars are driven the most in each of the 50 states.
The Honda Accord proved to be the top dog in the survey, ranking as the most commonly driven car in a whopping 13 individual states. The Honda Civic is close behind, ranking first in eight states. Combined, Honda models are the most popular car in more than 40% of U.S. states.
One of the more interesting findings of the study is that there’s a strong regional attraction to particular cars. For example, the Chevy Impala ranks No. 1 in seven states — and they’re all contiguous states in the upper Midwest. If you’re from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota or Wisconsin, you’re likely to know a lot of people driving an Impala. Similarly, the Nissan Altima holds court in the South, with the car ranking as the most popular in seven states stretching from Texas to Tennessee.
Overall, the rankings are dominated by just five brands: Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Chevrolet. The lone outlier is the Subaru Legacy, which takes the title in Vermont. With the exception of the Ford Explorer, which is an SUV, all of these cars have an MSRP of less than $28,000, which no doubt contributes to their popularity. Three cars — the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Ford Focus — have an MSRP below $20,000.
One of the advantages of driving a car that’s popular in your state is that you’re likely to find plenty of parts and repair shops that can service your car. Another is that your car is likely to be reliable; otherwise, there wouldn’t be as many still out on the road.
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t choose your vehicle based on its popularity with your neighbors. However, there are good reasons why most of these car models make the list. If you’re shopping for a new car, take a look at these popular models and see why your fellow Americans think so highly of them.
1. Alabama
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
2. Alaska
- Most popular car: Ford Explorer
3. Arizona
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
4. Arkansas
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
5. California
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
6. Colorado
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
7. Connecticut
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
8. Delaware
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
9. Florida
- Most popular car: Toyota Corolla
10. Georgia
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
11. Hawaii
- Most popular car: Toyota Corolla
12. Idaho
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
13. Illinois
- Most popular car: Toyota Camry
14. Indiana
- Most popular car: Chevy Malibu
15. Iowa
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
16. Kansas
- Most popular car: Ford Focus
17. Kentucky
- Most popular car: Toyota Camry
18. Louisiana
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
19. Maine
- Most popular car: Ford Focus
20. Maryland
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
21. Massachusetts
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
22. Michigan
- Most popular car: Chevy Malibu
23. Minnesota
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
24. Mississippi
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
25. Missouri
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
26. Montana
- Most popular car: Ford Explorer
27. Nebraska
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
28. Nevada
- Most popular car: Toyota Camry
29. New Hampshire
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
30. New Jersey
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
31. New Mexico
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
32. New York
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
33. North Carolina
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
34. North Dakota
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
35. Ohio
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
36. Oklahoma
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
37. Oregon
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
38. Pennsylvania
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
39. Rhode Island
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
40. South Carolina
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
41. South Dakota
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
42. Tennessee
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
43. Texas
- Most popular car: Nissan Altima
44. Utah
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
45. Vermont
- Most popular car: Subaru Legacy
46. Virginia
- Most popular car: Honda Accord
47. Washington
- Most popular car: Honda Civic
48. West Virginia
- Most popular car: Ford Focus
49. Wisconsin
- Most popular car: Chevy Impala
50. Wyoming
- Most popular car: Ford Explorer
More on Cars and Money
- Top 8 Hidden Costs of Taking Out an Auto Loan
- Pros and Cons of Rent-to-Own Cars
- Best Investment Apps of 2019-2020
- Best Online Brokerages of 2019-2020
Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the images may not reflect the specific car models and/or trims listed in this article.
About the Author
John Csiszar
After earning a B.A. in English with a Specialization in Business from UCLA, John Csiszar worked in the financial services industry as a registered representative for 18 years. Along the way, Csiszar earned both Certified Financial Planner and Registered Investment Adviser designations, in addition to being licensed as a life agent, while working for both a major Wall Street wirehouse and for his own investment advisory firm. During his time as an advisor, Csiszar managed over $100 million in client assets while providing individualized investment plans for hundreds of clients.
