2026 U.S. Compact Car Sales Figures – By Model
This page ranks 2026 United States sales for the compact car segment, the high-volume sedans and hatchbacks that sit between the subcompacts and the midsize class. Each nameplate with its own GCBC sales history page links to it from the rankings table, and the tables and charts update automatically as each new month of data is reported.
Through September 2026, the Toyota Corolla leads the rankings table at 195,141 sales, up 8.4 percent year over year, six units ahead of the Honda Civic at 195,135. The Hyundai Elantra is third at 128,603, up 10.7 percent, and the Nissan Sentra fourth at 112,439, down 9.6 percent.
Of the seven cars in the table, the Mazda3 has grown fastest, up 42.3 percent to 32,486, and the Corolla has added the most units, 15,158. The Subaru Impreza is down 42.4 percent to 12,739. In the third quarter alone the Corolla sold 63,738 and the Civic 62,695.
- Sales Rankings Table
- Market Share Over Time
- Quarterly Sales With Quarter Over Quarter Change
- Month By Month Sales
Sales Rankings Table
The table below ranks the seven compact cars in the September rankings by U.S. sales, with monthly and year-to-date totals and year-over-year changes. In September 2026 the Corolla led with 19,365 sales, ahead of the Civic at 17,724 and the Elantra at 13,902. The Volkswagen Jetta and Golf are not in the rankings table and appear in the quarterly table and the month-by-month matrix below.
| # | Model | Sep 2026 | Sep YoY | 2026 YTD | YTD YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. Toyota Corolla | 19,365 | +4.9% | 195,141 | +8.4% |
| 2 | 2. Honda Civic | 17,724 | +8.4% | 195,135 | +5.4% |
| 3 | 3. Hyundai Elantra | 13,902 | +0.7% | 128,603 | +10.7% |
| 4 | 4. Nissan Sentra | 11,746 | -10.0% | 112,439 | -9.6% |
| 5 | 5. Kia K4 / Forte | 12,658 | +43.4% | 111,212 | +3.3% |
| 6 | 6. Volkswagen Jetta | 4,528 | +23.5% | 41,606 | -3.8% |
| 7 | 7. Mazda Mazda3 | 3,704 | +146.9% | 32,486 | +42.3% |
| 8 | 8. Subaru Impreza | 1,343 | -36.3% | 12,739 | -42.4% |
| 9 | 9. Volkswagen Golf | 809 | -16.3% | 8,003 | -3.5% |
| Total | 85,779 | +8.9% | 837,364 | +3.4% |
YoY compares September 2026 with September 2025, and January through September of both years. Totals cover every row, not just the visible page.
Market Share Over Time
This chart shows how the leading compact cars’ share of the segment has shifted quarter by quarter over the past five years. In the third quarter of 2026 the Toyota Corolla held 24.0 percent of the segment, the Honda Civic 23.6 percent and the Hyundai Elantra 18.3 percent.
Toyota Corolla 22.5%Honda Civic 22.2%Hyundai Elantra 17.2%Kia K4 / Forte 13.3%Nissan Sentra 13.0%Volkswagen Jetta 5.0%Mazda Mazda3 4.3%Subaru Impreza 1.5%Volkswagen Golf 0.9%Acura ILX 0.0%
Share of the tracked total by quarter, 2022 through Q3 2026. Legend shows the latest quarter.
Quarterly Sales With Quarter Over Quarter Change
The quarterly table below breaks each nameplate’s 2026 sales into quarters with quarter-over-quarter changes. Among nameplates with third-quarter figures, the segment moved from 282,234 units in the second quarter to 266,111 in the third, down 5.7 percent. The Elantra added the most units, 1,988, and the Civic gave up the most, 12,145. The Volkswagen Jetta and Golf show no third-quarter sales in the table because their figures are not yet in GCBC’s data, and they update when they are.
| # | Model | Q3 2026 | Q2 2026 | QoQ | Q3 2025 | Quarter YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota Corolla | 63,738 | 68,829 | -7.4% | 59,931 | +6.4% |
| 2 | Honda Civic | 62,695 | 74,840 | -16.2% | 56,989 | +10.0% |
| 3 | Hyundai Elantra | 48,764 | 46,776 | +4.3% | 41,444 | +17.7% |
| 4 | Kia K4 / Forte | 37,633 | 36,359 | +3.5% | 32,108 | +17.2% |
| 5 | Nissan Sentra | 36,890 | 39,817 | -7.4% | 38,918 | -5.2% |
| 6 | Volkswagen Jetta | 14,092 | 15,949 | -11.6% | 10,923 | +29.0% |
| 7 | Mazda Mazda3 | 12,034 | 11,143 | +8.0% | 5,891 | +104.3% |
| 8 | Subaru Impreza | 4,357 | 4,470 | -2.5% | 7,126 | -38.9% |
| 9 | Volkswagen Golf | 2,531 | 3,182 | -20.5% | 2,877 | -12.0% |
QoQ compares Q3 2026 with Q2 2026. Quarter YoY compares Q3 2026 with Q3 2025.
Month By Month Sales
The matrix below shows U.S. sales month by month through 2026 for every compact car with a 2026 sale, nine in all. The Corolla’s biggest month of 2026 so far was April, at 25,312 sales.
| Model | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2026 YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Corolla | 19,420 | 19,944 | 23,210 | 25,312 | 23,644 | 19,873 | 22,601 | 21,772 | 19,365 | – | – | – | 195,141 |
| Honda Civic | 16,563 | 18,225 | 22,812 | 25,040 | 26,995 | 22,805 | 22,995 | 21,976 | 17,724 | – | – | – | 195,135 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 9,091 | 10,089 | 13,883 | 14,778 | 16,819 | 15,179 | 17,115 | 17,747 | 13,902 | – | – | – | 128,603 |
| Nissan Sentra | 12,224 | 11,284 | 12,224 | 13,445 | 12,928 | 13,444 | 13,460 | 11,684 | 11,746 | – | – | – | 112,439 |
| Kia K4 / Forte | 11,642 | 11,864 | 13,714 | 13,214 | 12,592 | 10,553 | 12,094 | 12,881 | 12,658 | – | – | – | 111,212 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 3,956 | 3,652 | 3,957 | 5,181 | 5,636 | 5,132 | 4,550 | 5,014 | 4,528 | – | – | – | 41,606 |
| Mazda Mazda3 | 2,473 | 3,129 | 3,707 | 3,235 | 4,121 | 3,787 | 3,903 | 4,427 | 3,704 | – | – | – | 32,486 |
| Subaru Impreza | 1,156 | 1,258 | 1,498 | 1,444 | 1,577 | 1,449 | 1,458 | 1,556 | 1,343 | – | – | – | 12,739 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 783 | 723 | 784 | 1,034 | 1,125 | 1,023 | 851 | 871 | 809 | – | – | – | 8,003 |
2026 data reported through September.
For more 2026 U.S. sales data, see the Small Car rankings, the Midsize Car rankings and the complete by-model rankings pages.
