We all love a story about giant-slayers. Underdogs rolling up to challenge entrenched businesses or corporate bigwigs, only to end up winning the day. That's the plot of approximately 92% of '80s movies. So, to find out that the long-running, all-conquering, dominant Ford F-150 pickup truck might no longer be at the top of the vehicle sales ladder, but could get displaced by some young upstart, feels like either the climactic plot point of a John Hughes film about plucky misfit car builders beating
the Big Three or deeply un-American, depending on your viewpoint.
Let's not keep you waiting any longer. The vehicle we're talking about is the Tesla Cybertruck. Ha, no, sorry, can't keep a straight face! The Ford F-150 Lightning alone outsells the Cybertruck. The sales-threatening crossover in question is actually the Toyota RAV4. Yes, the Japanese SUVlet that was advertised in America in the late '90s with a TV commercial featuring the undisputed banger "What Do I Get?" by English punk legends Buzzcocks.
Here's the thing, though. JATO Dynamics (an automotive analytics firm and not a "Jet Assisted Take-Off" specialist) reports that Ford sold 460,915 F-150s in 2024, while the RAV4 sold 475,193. But that sales reporting doesn't account for the F-250 through F-600 models, while Ford itself counts those F-series models as branches of a single tree.
Mike Levine, Ford's North America product communications director, told Road and Track, "All Ford F-Series trucks, from F-150 to F-600, share a common cab architecture from the A-pillar to the C-pillar." Count Ford's F-Series the way Ford does, and you're looking at over 732,000 sold in 2024 instead. Add in Ford heavy trucks, such as the F-650 and F-750, and that count goes even higher.
Read more: Ford Faces Yet Another Massive Safety Probe As Feds Investigate 1.3 Million Faulty F-150s
Digging Into The Real Sales Figures
For an even fairer comparison, let's add in the Ford Maverick and Ranger, which act like more affordable and efficient mini-F-Series (and aren't far from the size of older F-150s anyway). The cheapest F-150 today costs $8,000 more than it did in 2021, when it could be had for under $30,000. Meanwhile, 2024 Mavericks have suggested prices starting around $24,000, and the 2024 Ranger started at just under $33,000. Really, these trucks have slotted in nicely as mini F-series, and they certainly have the capability to be thought of as such.
Yes, 2024 F-150 sales dropped 5% from 2023, but Mavericks and Rangers went from 126,392 sold in the U.S. in 2023 to 177,347 in 2024. Even the F-Series as a whole increased sales, climbing from 726,624 in 2023 to 732,139 in 2024. Combine the sales of the 2024 Maverick, Ranger, and F-series, and you get 909,486 trucks. Add in the heavy trucks (F-650 and F-750), and you get 923,157.
The other consideration is that the 2024 RAV4 base suggested price was about $30,000. Inflation has had unpleasant effects on the U.S. economy as of late, and "stagflation," where inflation outpaces job growth, is a real concern. So, looking through a microscope at only the cheaper RAV4 and pricier F-150 is kind of an apples-to-filet-mignon comparison. You're saying the less costly, but still quite utility-forward vehicle, improved in sales when the economy is hurting? What a surprise.
RAV4s Sold Great, But There's More To Ford's Pickup Lineup Than The F-150
Combining the sales of Toyota's SUVs and crossovers in 2024, including the RAV4, bZ4X, Highlander, Grand Highlander, Corolla Cross, 4Runner, Venza, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser, yields 927,611 sold. In other words, Ford's truck lineup alone rivals the sales of the full SUV/crossover lineup from Toyota in 2024, including leftovers such as the discontinued Venza, which contributed about 32,000 vehicles on its way out the door. It's almost like the F-Series' utility is still necessary in many situations.
So is this "sales upset" a victory for the RAV4? Does it prove some larger point about a shift from large trucks to more eco-friendly crossovers? Not really, and by laser focusing on the F-150 and RAV4, a rather incomplete picture has been painted. RAV4s sell well, no doubt about it, and the 2026 hybrid-only Toyota RAV4 with its 320-hp PHEV Sport Version is something to look forward to. But Ford's F-Series is still about 250,000 ahead in yearly sales, and that's a lot of ground to cover for a single model. Ford's throne is certainly safe for the moment, as evidenced by the fact that in 2025 so far, the RAV4 has moved 239,451 vehicles to the F-Series' 412,858.
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