• Hybrids ruled the roost in 2024.
• Some of the most popular cars in 2024 also have the highest share of hybrid sales.
• Despite a tough year for EVs, the Tesla Model Y makes the top five.

Once thought to be a dying segment, hybrid electric-gas cars had their best year ever in 2024.

A shift in the green car buyer base from wealthy early adopters to more frugal, practical shoppers gave hybrids new life. This new swath of buyers was not ready to make the jump to a fully electric car, said Ivan Drury, an automotive analyst for the car-shopping website Edmunds.

"Hybrids this year became an extremely easy default decision for someone who doesn't want to go full electric but wants basically 70% or 80% of benefits," Drury said in an interview. "These cars come with almost none of the extra costs or hassle in the sense that disrupting your lifestyle."

The popularity of these models is reflected in the top 10 best sellers, according to data provided by Edmunds. The top three — Ford's F-150 pickup truck, Toyota's RAV4 SUV, and Honda's CR-V — all have hybrid options that did especially well this year.

For example, about half of all RAV4 and CR-V sales are hybrids, according to Edmunds. Meanwhile, Ford has lauded the success of the F-150 hybrid this year as these vehicles make up more of the Blue Oval's sales.

Vehicle affordability also greatly influenced the popularity of hybrids this year, with models like the Honda Civic gaining in popularity.

"Customers recognized that this is a proven technology that the most trusted car companies have already been making," Drury said. "It's a win-win for anyone wary of EVs and shut out by higher interest rates this year."

1. Ford F-150

The No. 1 spot is never a question. For the 47th consecutive year, the F-150 pickup truck is the top-selling car in America.

Ford has leaned heavily into hybrid demand this year, and the F-150 is no exception. Due to the popularity of the Pro-Power Onboard feature, which turns your hybrid into a mobile generator, the company has said that about 20% of buyers choose the hybrid version.

2. Toyota RAV4

Toyota has sold more than 430,000 RAV4s so far in 2024, about half of which are hybrids.

An early leader in hybrid technology, Toyota has been proven right this year in its bet on these partially electrified cars.

3. Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V, which also has a highly popular hybrid option, moved up one spot this year, knocking Chevrolet's pickup truck out of the top three.

4. Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Chevrolet's profit-driving Silverado 1500 pickup truck is still a highly popular car, commanding 2.5% of the US market in 2024.

Chevrolet also released a fully electric version of the Silverado 1500 this year, but it does not currently sell a hybrid model. GM had previously planned to skip hybrid models in North America but reversed those plans earlier this year.

5. Tesla Model Y

Tesla's most popular car rounds out this year's top five, with an estimated 336,833 units sold so far this year.

Tesla had a tough year as the EV market faced upheaval, and price cuts alone weren't enough to stoke demand. The affordable Model Y bucks this trend, and Tesla investors are hopeful more affordable models will carry Elon Musk's automaker through the coming years.

6. Toyota Corolla

Much has been made of the dying sedan segment, but Toyota and Honda continue to find success with these reliable vehicles.

The Toyota Corolla still accounts for more than 2% of the entire US market, proving a continued interest in affordable models, Drury said.

7. Toyota Camry

Toyota's Camry went exclusively hybrid for the 2025 model year. It also comes in a hatchback body style, which helps bolster the nameplate's popularity.

8. Nissan Rogue

The Nissan Rogue is an outlier on the list as one of the only SUVs without a hybrid option.

Nissan, which has struggled with demand overall this year, is considering a tie-up with hybrid leader Honda.

9. Honda Civic

The Honda Civic jumped seven spots this year to eke its way into the top 10. The rise of this reliable sedan, with a starting price below $30,000, is a good example of car shoppers' shifting preferences in 2024, according to Drury.

10. Chevrolet Equinox

The Chevrolet Equinox also jumped a few spots this year to make its way into the top 10. Starting at $28,600, this Chevy crossover sold about 206,100 units this year to capture 1.4% of the US market.

Chevrolet recognizes the popularity of this nameplate, choosing it as one of the first to electrify in 2024.

• Nissan and Honda confirmed Monday that they're in merger talks.
• Nissan's lack of hybrids has affected the success of popular models like the Rogue.
• Honda has seen big sales increases for popular models with hybrid offerings.

A tie-up between Nissan and Honda could solve one big problem for Nissan: a lack of hybrids.

That's what dealers who spoke with Business Insider said last week amid reports that the Japanese automakers are in talks to create a new global auto goliath. Now, this week, the automakers have confirmed the chatter — saying they're indeed in official merger talks. Mitsubishi Motors also is involved in the talks, the Monday statement from the companies said.

Nissan is one of few car manufacturers in the US without a hybrid or plug-in hybrid offering, despite taking an early lead in EV sales with the Leaf in 2010.

Green car shoppers have turned away from EVs in favor of hybrid models this year, leaving Nissan with unpopular and unprofitable battery-powered offerings in the Leaf and Ariya SUV.

Nissan dealers have dealt with slumping sales all year, particularly for the brand's top seller, the Rogue. Once a segment leader, sales of the Rogue fell 10% through the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to company data.

And dealers say they're losing customers to Honda and Toyota, which have hybrid versions of their CR-V and RAV4 SUVs.

One dealer with both Nissan and Honda stores says it's "painfully obvious" that Nissan is losing customers to brands with more hybrids. The dealer didn't want to be identified, but Business Insider confirmed his identity.

He said it has become common for a Nissan shopper to migrate to the Honda store after they realize there aren't any hybrids.

Following disappointing sales results in the first quarter, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida acknowledged the hybrid blind spot, saying during an earnings press conference that until last year, Nissan wasn't able to predict the rapid rise in demand for hybrids. The company has said it is shifting efforts toward hybrid offerings, but dealers and automotive industry experts say that change could take years.

Meanwhile, Honda is riding the hybrid wave this year as customers gravitate toward the hybrid versions of the CR-V SUV and Civic sedan. Just this month, Honda said it has plans to double its global hybrid sales to 1.3 million vehicles by 2030, as it aims to create a "bridge" to EV adoption.

Dealer skepticism over another auto merger

Still, some dealers are wary of yet another global auto merger.

Adam Lee, a dealer in Maine with several major brands, including Nissan, Honda, and Chrylser, said he's grown cynical about promised "synergies" after experiencing several different mergers as a Chrysler dealer.

"Show me a merger where the synergies actually existed, and I'll show you something that doesn't exist," Lee said. "I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I tend to be cynical about anything like this."

Chyrsler-owner Stellantis is in the middle of a tough transition right now, as the CEO who led the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA stepped down suddenly at the start of the month. Before that, Chrysler lived through a messy marriage with Germany's Daimler in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Lee said Nissan could probably use some help with hybrids and other plug-in models but argued: "You don't necessarily need to merge to do that."