Whatever your take on President Trump’s hard-hitting import tariffs, we’re all being encouraged to support the U.S. automotive industry by buying American-made vehicles. There is, however, an important distinction between an American-brand car, truck, or SUV and an American-made model. Many non-U.S. car brands—including BMW, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz—have factories that build cars in America, so the country of origin for a car you're considering might not always be clear depending on where final assembly takes place.
As an example, the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Envision and Cadillac Optiq—sold by U.S. automaker General Motors—are built in Korea, China and Mexico respectively. Whereas South Korean brand Kia builds its Telluride SUV in West Point, Georgia, and German giant Volkswagen produces new vehicles including the Atlas and ID.4 at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Major group Stellantis has its headquarters in the Netherlands, but counts a number of U.S. brands among its ranks, such as Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram Trucks. While models such as the Jeep Wrangler and the Dodge Durango are built in facilities in Ohio and Detroit, the Jeep Avenger, for example, is built in Poland.
Does this matter? It all depends on what you want your hard-earned money to support when you visit the dealership. If you’d prefer to keep automobile manufacturing in the United States healthy, you want an American-made vehicle.
We’ve done the research to help you identify some of our favorites in 10 different categories. Read on to see what we think are the best American-made new cars in 2025.
Best American-Made Cars
- Small Car: Honda Civic Hatchback
- Midsize Car: Honda Accord
- Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- Compact SUV: Honda CR-V
- Midsize SUV: Kia Telluride
- Luxury SUV: BMW X5
- Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Ioniq 5
- Luxury Electric Vehicle: Rivian R1S
- Small Pickup Truck: Hyundai Santa Cruz
- Large Pickup Truck: Ford F-150
Small Car: Honda Civic Hatchback
The best small car made in America is the Honda Civic As of spring 2025, prices start at just over $24,000. The hybrid powertrain is new, replacing the previous turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. It supplies 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque, helping to make it both enjoyable and efficient to drive—and the sporty Si model even has a manual transmission.
It’s more than just fun, though. This compact car receives high safety ratings and has won numerous awards. The Civic Hatchback offers plenty of utility, too, holding 24.5 cubic feet of cargo in its trunk. Fold the back seats, and that expands, though Honda doesn’t quote a number.
Honda builds the Civic Hatchback in Greensburg, Indiana—except for the Type R hot hatchback, which comes to America from Japan.
Midsize Car: Honda Accord
Honda builds the Accord in Marysville, Ohio, alongside its Acura Integra and Acura TLX models. Several factors elevated the Honda Accord over the Toyota Camry as our choice for the best car in the midsize segment made in America.
First, the Accord is slightly safer—based on ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Second, we think the Accord is better to drive. Third, the Accord has a larger back seat and trunk. Fourth, it has ranked as a Car and Driver 10 Best winner for nearly three decades running. The Camry? Not so much.
If you agree with our reasoning, you can get a newHonda Accord with a turbocharged gas or a hybrid powertrain. Gas models return 32 mpg, while Accord Hybrids get 44 to 48 mpg, depending on the wheel size. However, the Honda doesn’t offer all-wheel drive (AWD) as the Toyota does, and the Camry is more efficient. Prices start at just over $28,000 for the base LX trim.
Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Miraculously, you can get a mid-engine sports car with 490 horsepower and supercar proportions for less than $70,000, including the destination charge. That’s what a base Chevy Corvette Stingray goes for, and to put that value into perspective, a Ford Mustang Dark Horse (built in Detroit) is only five grand less.
Aside from being a raging performance bargain, the Chevrolet Corvette—built in Bowling Green, Indiana—satisfies more practical demands. For example, it gets up to 19 mpg in combined driving, enjoys a reputation for reliability, and ranks high for owner satisfaction. But that’s not surprising. When you give people a seductively styled, high-performance, mid-engine exotic for the price of a fancy Mustang, it would be hard for anyone to complain.
The Stingray comes in coupe and convertible body styles and in 1LT, 2LT, and 3LT trim levels. C’mon, Chevy. Is this a Malibu rental car or one of the best damn sports cars money can buy? Give those trim-level designations worthy names already. How about Red, White, and Blue?
Compact SUV: Honda CR-V
Though it earns our nod as the best small SUV made in America, the 2025 Honda CR-V stretches the limits of that size definition. With plenty of room for five people and up to 39.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back seat, it’s as roomy inside as some midsize SUVs.
Six trim levels are available, with turbocharged gas or hybrid engines and front-wheel drive (FWD) or AWD. Prices start at $30,100 for the gas model, which gets 28 to 30 mpg in combined driving. Or, you can spend $34,650 for a base CR-V Hybrid that returns 37-40 mpg.
All CR-Vs earn mostly favorable crash-test ratings, and they’re considered to be reliable vehicles. In addition, they’re enjoyable to drive, particularly the CR-V Hybrid. That helps explain why we like this Honda so much and why it has landed on Car and Driver’s 10 Best list this year.
Honda builds the CR-V in East Liberty, Ohio; Greensburg, Indiana; and Alliston, Ontario, Canada. If you need more space (and seats) than the CR-V there’s always the Honda Odyssey minivan, which is built in Lincoln, Alabama, alongside the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot and Honda Ridgeline.
Midsize SUV: Kia Telluride
If you need a family-size SUV with three rows of seats, the 2025 Kia Telluride is a terrific choice. With top safety ratings, generous warranty coverage, and a reputation for satisfying its owners, the Telluride brings style and hints of luxury to the mainstream kid-hauler segment.
The main downside is the SUV’s fuel efficiency, because the 291-horsepower V6 engine returns between 20 and 22 mpg. But, in exchange, it supplies speedy acceleration and 5,000 pounds of towing capacity.
As of spring 2025, prices start at just over $36,000. You can choose from LX, S, EX, SX, and SX Prestige trim levels, and Kia also offers sporty X-Line and rugged X-Pro upgrades for the upper trim levels. The most expensive models can reach the mid-$50,000s, but they’re opulently equipped with luxury features and bar-setting technology. Even at those prices, the Telluride seems like a bargain.
Kia builds the Telluride in West Point, Georgia.
Luxury SUV: BMW X5
Among American-made luxury SUVs, the 2025 BMW X5—built in Spartanburg, South Carolina—offers everything you seek in such a vehicle except for a third-row seat. The X5 is rewarding to drive regardless of which model you choose, and the high-tech interior is comfortable and outfitted with quality materials. Plus, the X5 earns high safety ratings from the IIHS, boasts a favorable reliability record, and has proven satisfying to owners.
The X5 is available with powerful six-cylinder or twin-turbo V8 engines, and there's a high-performance X5 M Competition model. Want a plug-in hybrid SUV? BMW’s got you covered with the X5 xDrive50e. It offers 38 miles of all-electric driving for running around town and commuting and gets 22 mpg when operating on the gas engine for longer trips.
If the X5 isn’t quite your thing, know that its arch-rival the Mercedes-Benz (built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) is a great alternative. Or if you want a luxury three-row SUV there’s the Lexus TX, which is built in Princeton, Indiana. Arguably the most American option is the Cadillac Escalade, built in Arlington, TX.
Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Ioniq 5
Starting with the 2025 model year, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric crossover SUV is made in Ellabell, Georgia. This five-passenger EV straddles the line between compact and midsize vehicles but has a roomy interior loaded with technology. It has a distinctive modern-retro look and is a rival for cars such as the Tesla Model Y (built in California) and Volkswagen ID.4 (built in Tennessee).
The Ioniq 5 comes in SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and N trim levels and provides between 221 and 318 miles of driving range, depending on the configuration. The Ioniq 5 sits on a sophisticated electric vehicle platform compatible with DC ultra-fast charging stations, so you can recharge it from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes.
The XRT and N models are new for 2025. The former adds a rugged off-road look and extra capability in the dirt, while the N is a high-performance, track-ready vehicle that’s a sheer thrill to drive. Not only does Hyundai offer a wide range of Ioniq 5 models, but they’re also covered by one of the best warranties available, and this EV receives the highest safety rating from the IIHS.
Luxury Electric Vehicle: Rivian R1S
Rivian is one electric vehicle startup that has its finger on the pulse of American car-buying preferences. By that, we mean it builds pickup trucks and SUVs, not cars. And they look like trucks and SUVs, not spaceships.
The Rivian R1S—built in in Normal, Illinois—is the SUV. It might look vaguely retro, but it’s thoroughly modern. Depending on the configuration, the R1S offers 258 to 410 miles of range and the ability to add 140 miles of range in 20 minutes when using a DC fast charger. Dual-motor AWD is standard, but you can get tri-motor and quad-motor variants offering up to 1,025 horsepower and acceleration to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.
Rivian R1S owners signal they’re satisfied with their electric SUVs, and it earns the highest safety rating from the IIHS. Reliability isn’t stellar, however, but that doesn’t appear to bother the people who own them.
Small Pickup Truck: Hyundai Santa Cruz
Before the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz came along, it had been a long time since Americans could buy a brand-new, truly small pickup truck (we’re discounting the longer Jeep Gladiator, by the way). Of the two, only the Hyundai is made in America (in Montgomery, Alabama)—Ford builds the Maverick in Mexico.
We like the Santa Cruz for many reasons. It has bold sport truck styling and it’s a ton of fun to drive with the available turbocharged engine. Fuel economy is nothing to brag about, however, ranging from 21 to 25 mpg, depending on the drivetrain.
The Santa Cruz has a four-foot cargo bed equipped with a small, weathertight, locking trunk. Inside, it boasts car-like comfort, technology, and driving assistance systems. Prices start at just under $29,000 and for 2025 a new XRT trim level joins the lineup, adding some extra off-roading capability.
Large Pickup Truck: Ford F-150
Nothing personifies the American spirit like a full-size pickup truck, and our favorite is the 2025 Ford F-150. We’re not alone in that opinion, because the F Series has been the best-selling vehicle in America for almost half a century. To keep up with demand Ford currently builds the F-150 in both Dearborn, Michigan, and Claycomo, Missouri.
Ford offers the F-150 in regular, extended, and crew cab styles with a choice between three cargo bed lengths. Prices start at less than $40,000 and Ford caters to a wide range of customer needs, from a basic work truck to a luxury pick-‘em-up. Tremor and Raptor models are ready for off-roading, and you can get hybrid and electric drivetrains if that’s what you prefer.
As far as capability goes, the F-150 offers up to 13,500 pounds of trailer towing and 2,440 pounds of payload capacity. High-tech trailering features make life easier, and you can even get Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving system in this truck. The current-generation F-150 has also consistently earned favorite safety ratings.
Looking for a less ubiquitous pickup that’s also built in the U.S.? The Toyota Tundra or Tesla Cybertruck—both built in Texas—could fit the bill. Equally, if you’re happy being part of the crowd, then there’s always the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra duo.
