The Most Popular Vehicles of 2013

Pickup trucks were some of the most popular vehicles this year for drivers looking for a new ride, according to car information site AutoTrader.com.

Trucks made up nearly half of the 20 most popular new vehicles on the site in 2013. In fact, three of the top five vehicles are pickups made by Detroit’s Big Three.

Isabelle Helms, vice president of Research and Market Intelligence at AutoTrader, said the full-size truck segment grew this year to garner a more than 20% share of shopper interest.

“We believe this is due to a combination of growth in the housing and construction sectors and the number of models that were all-new for the 2013 and 2014 model years,” she added.

AutoTrader determines which vehicles were most interesting to car shoppers by looking at how many visitors to the site clicked on listings for each model. The company said AutoTrader.com attracts more than 16 million monthly users.

Here are AutoTrader’s 10 most popular vehicles for 2013:

1. Ford F-150

It comes as no surprise that Ford’s flagship pickup truck sits atop AutoTrader’s list. The Ford F-150, which was also No. 1 in 2012, is the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. Sales of the entire F-series lineup are up 19.5% in 2013 through November.

The Ford brand had the most models in the top 20 with six, including the Fusion and Focus. Chevrolet had the next-best showing with four of the most popular vehicles.

2. Jeep Wrangler

Jeep’s popular sport-utility vehicle jumped one spot higher this year. Through the first 11 months of 2013, Chrysler has sold 143,474 Wranglers, up 10% over the same period last year.

3. Ram 1500

Chrysler’s Ram 1500 pickup truck leaped two spots in this year’s rankings, thanks in part to a recent redesign. It was named Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year for 2014.

4. Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang fell from No. 2 last year but is bound to receive more interest in the coming months, with a new version of the pony car set to hit showrooms in 2014. Ford unveiled the redesigned Mustang earlier this month. Ahead of the new car’s launch, sales have fallen 7.7% so far this year.

5. Chevrolet Silverado 1500

General Motors revamped its Chevrolet Silverado for model-year 2014, and the new pickup truck went on sale in the fall. The Silverado, which was No. 6 last year, was named best in its class by Consumer Reports. Its higher-end sibling, the GMC Sierra, was 13th on AutoTrader’s list, up four spots.

6. Chevrolet Camaro

Although sales of the Chevrolet Camaro jumped 13.5% year-over-year in November, demand for the muscle car has fallen overall this year. Sales are down 3.8% as drivers await a revamped Chevrolet Camaro that is expected to arrive next year.

7. Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep’s Grand Cherokee remained in the No. 7 slot in 2013. Sales of the SUV are up 15% on the year.

8. Ford F-250

Ford’s F-250 pickup truck, a heavy-duty version of the F-150, gained two spots this year at No. 8.

9. Chevrolet Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette’s position in the rankings is somewhat misleading in terms of current popularity, according to AutoTrader. The new 2014 Corvette marked the return of the Stingray moniker and garnered plenty of attention, as sales soared 128.9% in November.

Interest in the Corvette was down most of the year as shoppers anticipated the revamped model, Helms explained, “but once listings for the all-new vehicle were posted on the site interest skyrocketed, and it was among the top three most popular vehicles on the site for the last three months of the year.”

10. Ram 2500

The Ram 1500’s larger sibling rounds out the top 10, jumping from No. 14 in 2012. Overall sales of Ram pickup trucks are up 22% through the first 11 months of 2013, with 263,152 vehicles sold.