20 years after 2002, pickup trucks are back in style. But in 2002, the best-selling vehicles were also trucks. What other cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles made the top 10 more than two decades ago? Many of the same ones are flying off dealer lots today.
The best-selling vehicle in 2002 was the Ford F-Series pickup.
edmunds did the math to find that with 813,701 units sold, the F-Series pickup was the best-selling vehicle in 2002. Ford’s F-Series includes a variety of options: F-150, F-150 SVT Lightning, F-250, and the F-350. Some people think it’s unfair that Ford can lump them all into one truck, but that’s how the cookie crumbles in the automotive world.
In second place, with 652,646 units sold in 2002, is the Chevrolet Silverado. This includes many variations of the Silverado, such as the 1500, 1500 SS, 1500HD, 2500, 2500HD, and 3500. Buyers still liked trucks, and these two trucks delivered on the choices.
Further down the list of best-selling vehicles in 2002 is the Dodge Ram pickup. This one comes with fewer options; Available in 1500, 2500, and 3500, it still sold 396,934 units. That was good enough for sixth place.
Toyota had one or two best-selling vehicles on the list
The Toyota Camry and Camry Solara came in third. This sedan managed to sell 434,145 units, which was good enough to stay in the top five. After the Camry, the Ford Explorer, Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac moved a combined 433,847 units. In fifth place was the Honda Accord sedan, which sold 398,980 units.
| Range | Vehicle | Sold units |
| 1 | Ford F-series | 813,701 |
| two | silver chevrolet | 652,646 |
| 3 | toyota camry | 434,145 |
| 4 | ford explorer | 433,847 |
| 5 | honda accord | 398,980 |
| 6 | Dodge Ram | 396,934 |
| 7 | ford taurus | 332,690 |
| 8 | Honda Civic | 313,159 |
| 9 | Chevrolet Trail Blazer | 249,568 |
| 10 | dodge caravan | 244,911 |
The remaining best-selling vehicles in 2002 were the Ford Taurus, Honda Civic, Chevy Trailblazer, and last but not least, the Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan. In the top 10, that leaves three trucks, four sedans, two SUVs and one minivan.
How does that compare to sales in 2022?
Looking at the best selling cars of 2022 from car and driver, many of the 2002 vehicles are present. Ford’s F-Series remains in first place, selling 467,307 units this year. Chevy’s Silverado is still in second place, selling 374,479 units this year. It is followed by the Ram pickup (363,089 units) and the Toyota RAV4 SUV (303,341 units). The Toyota Camry has slipped to fifth place, selling 214,403 units in 2022.
Even after 20 years, Americans are still buying some of the same vehicles. That bodes well for Ford F-150s, Chevy Silverados, and the popular Camry and Civic sedans. More electric cars are popular than ever, but they are still not being sold in large enough numbers. However, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning has certainly helped those F-Series sales.
No matter the case, the best-selling vehicles in 2002 are still mostly favorites in 2022. If that’s not a good selling point, nothing is.