wmaker090@gmail.com
(NEXSTAR) – While it isn’t possible to buy a car that is 100% made in the U.S., a new ranking from Cars.com breaks down the most – and least – American-manufactured cars in 2025.
While the site has compiled its America-Made Index for more than a decade, President Trump’s announcement of tariffs on foreign-made vehicles has created keen interest in just how “American” a car is.
The Cars.com analysis assigned scores based on five factors: percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts, location of final assembly, country of origins for available engines, U.S. manufacturing workforce and country of origin for available transmissions.
“Being on this list is crucial as the auto industry becomes more and more global and consumers’ desire to use their dollars to support their neighbors increases,” the report states. “No matter where a vehicle ranks, simply being on the list means it has some component of final assembly in the U.S., ultimately still contributing to the U.S. economy.”
At the top of the ranking was the Model 3 by Tesla, which has factories in California and Texas, among other sites. At the bottom of the ranking, in 99th place, was the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which fell from the 65th spot in the 2024 ranking.
The top 20 most-American cars, according to Cars.com, are:
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model S
- Tesla Model X
- Jeep Gladiator
- Kia EV6
- Honda Ridgeline
- Honda Odyssey
- Honda Passport
- Volkswagen ID.4
- Acura MDX
- Honda Pilot
- Jeep Wrangler
- Acura RDX
- Honda Accord
- Acura Integra
- Kia Sportage
- Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
- Chevrolet Colorado
- Nissan Pathfinder
See the full list on the Cars.com site.
Trump’s tariffs and vehicle prices
Despite President Trump’s 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts, the widely-feared spike in car lot prices has not yet materialized.
Car shoppers paid $48,799 on average in May, which was $12 less than in April, according to Kelley Blue Book (KBB). Experts don’t expect that trend to last, however.
“Price hikes are coming slowly in part because many dealerships keep months’ worth of new vehicles in stock, so they still have cars to sell that they imported at pre-tariff prices,” according to KBB reporter Sean Tucker.
Tucker wrote that Trump’s tariff announcement prompted a flood of early car sales as buyers tried to snatch up the vehicles already on lots in the U.S., but that wave of sales has ended. Discounts offered by major automakers are also starting to fall off.
So if the tariffs remain in place, experts suggest that now may still be a good time to buy a car.
“So far there’s a mismatch between the expectation of what would happen, and the reality of what has happened with prices,” Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds.com told CNN. “But I still think we’re still going to prices start to take off in two to three months.”
