EVwire brief: Tesla took the top two spots on Cars.com's 2026 American-Made Index, with the Model 3 at No. 1 and the Model Y at No. 2, the sixth year running that Tesla has led the ranking.
Stellantis took Nos. 3 and 4 with the Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the rest of the top 10 were all U.S.-built Japanese-brand vehicles, such as the Honda Ridgeline, Honda Odyssey, Lexus TX, Honda Accord, Acura MDX, and Honda Passport.
Where 2026’s most American-made cars are produced
Tesla's edge comes from building its cars at Fremont and Austin, high U.S. and Canadian parts content, and the size of its U.S. workforce, which is one of the five factors Cars.com weighs alongside parts sourcing, final assembly, and engine and transmission origin.
Here’s a video from Cars.com about this year’s winners.
Context:
Tesla's run at the top is now six years deep. The Model 3 won in 2021, the Model Y carried it from 2022 through 2024, and the Model 3 took the No. 1 spot again in both 2025 and 2026.
Last year, Tesla swept the entire top four. The picture thinned this year because Tesla discontinued the Model S and Model X in January, pulling both off the index and leaving the Model 3 and Model Y to hold the fort.
Domestic assembly at Fremont and Austin, plus a large U.S. workforce, keeps Tesla at the top of the index.
The wider list reflects the trade backdrop. After 18 months of tariff turmoil, this year's top 10 carried the highest average domestic parts content since Cars.com adopted its current methodology in 2020.
Even so, every vehicle sold in the U.S. still sources at least 25% of its parts from outside the U.S. and Canada, per NHTSA, and dozens of models source none domestically.
Source: Cars.com American-Made Index, Axios
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