(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 two decades, President Trump’s announcement of tariffs on foreign-made vehicles has created keen interest in just how “American” a car is in 2025.
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.
“As import tariffs shake up the auto industry and influence consumer priorities, our 2025 American-Made Index offers a timely snapshot of which vehicles and automakers are truly driving U.S. economic impact,” Patrick Masterson, lead researcher for Cars.com’s American-Made Index, said in a statement. “About 25% of the more than 400 vehicles on sale in the U.S. made this year’s AMI, and whether a vehicle is No. 1 or No. 99, it contributes 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. Rounding out the top four were Tesla’s Models Y, S and X, respectively, followed by the Jeep Gladiator, the highest-ranked American-made pickup truck.
Of the 99 vehicles that made the list (out of 400) the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid took last place, falling from 65th in 2024.
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.”
