What car do you currently drive? 

Today’s visualisation ranked America’s most favourite car brands, based on a YouGov poll measuring fame and favourability among over 24 million U.S. adults. 

This ranking reveals a Japanese reliability monopoly on American hearts. 

TL;DR

• Japanese car brands occupy 9 of the top 50 most-loved brands among Americans. 
• The dominance will only deepen as tariffs stabilise at 15%, while American brands continue consolidating and European luxury fights Chinese EV competition.

The current tariff wars favour Japanese brands because they absorb costs to maintain market share, while American and European makers pass costs to consumers. 

Automakers continue to mitigate against raising U.S prices through cost-cutting and product mix adjustments, but Japanese brands are winning this game.

In the table below, “Popularity” is the percentage of people who have a favourable opinion of a car maker.

Tariff Wars Are Reshaping Everything

A US-Japan trade deal in July 2025 reduced tariffs on Japanese vehicles to 15% from 25%, with Japan committing to invest $550 billion in the U.S. 

This explains why Japanese brands dominate favorability. They’re winning the tariff game while maintaining affordability.

Japanese automakers have slashed export prices by nearly 20% to offset US tariffs, essentially absorbing the costs themselves to preserve market share.

Americans favour Japanese brands because they deliver value even during trade wars.

Meanwhile, Japan’s seven leading automakers on this list suffered a combined $9.7 billion loss for April-September 2025 due to US tariffs, yet they’re still ranked favourably.

American Brands in Structural Decline

Despite 18 American brands in the top 50, only Ford and Chevrolet crack the top 10. 

The rest are afterthoughts. 

GM reported a $1.1 billion profit hit in Q2 2025 due to tariffs, rising warranty costs, and excess EV inventory.

Ford launched the “From America, For America” campaign, offering employee pricing to everyone, with discounts up to $6,800 off an F-150.

It is a desperate move, signalling that American brands must discount aggressively just to compete with Japanese reliability.

U.S Men vs Women Car Choices

When we filtered the dataset by gender, the top five car makers favoured by American men were: 

• Toyota
• Honda
• Ferrari
• Lamborghini
• BMW

This mix of practical Japanese and aspirational European performance (or luxury) points to status-seeking and performance fantasy alongside pragmatism. 

On the other hand, the top five options for American women were: 

• Toyota
• Subaru
• Lexus
• Honda
• Nissan

These are all 100% Japanese brands. 

This data suggests women make economically rational vehicle preferences, while men’s choices are influenced by performance mythology and status signalling. 

Toyota’s reputation for reliability continues to pay off in resale value, with the Corolla Cross depreciating just 2.63% after three years (exactly what women’s choices optimise for).

Meanwhile, French car makers are dead last on the list. 

For example, Peugeot and Renault rank near the bottom despite being major global players. 

It implies that Americans have zero cultural connection to French automakers. They’re essentially non-existent in U.S consumer consciousness.

What about EVs?

Generally, Tesla, one of the leading players in electric vehicles, sits at 44th on the list. That’s telling enough. 

German brands (BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi) rank well but face existential pressure.

But the real threat isn’t tariffs. It’s that BYD covers nearly 20% of the world’s EV market, the largest share, while Tesla fell to 7.7%. 

Chinese EVs are eating European luxury’s lunch globally.

ELI5: Car Makers Favoured By Americans

• Americans trust Japanese cars the most. 
• Men still dream about fast European supercars like Ferrari and Lamborghini. Still, when it comes to everyday choices, women overwhelmingly pick Japanese brands because they’re cheaper to maintain and more reliable.
• American brands like Ford and Chevrolet stay relevant mainly because of truck culture and nostalgia, while 
• Tariffs are also shaping the market. Japanese carmakers are absorbing extra import costs to keep prices stable, but American and European companies are passing those costs on to buyers.
• If nothing changes, this ranking basically predicts the future. Japanese brands will dominate even more.

Sources: 

YouGov Poll | SPGlobal | CNBC | Auto Trader Import