When it comes to sales, the Toyota RAV4 has long been a mainstay on top-ten lists. Toyota's compact crossover has not only been America's favorite SUV year after year for eight years, but also America's favorite vehicle overall that's not a pickup truck. But it's getting off to a rough start for 2026, selling far fewer units in the first quarter than it had by this time last year.Seeing the RAV4's early sales numbers come in so far below expectations this year has been a bit of a surprise for anyone who tracks auto sales numbers. You always expect to see the Ford F-Series right at the top, with the RAV4 coming in right behind the full-size pickups, and the Toyota Camry retaining the throne as America's favorite sedan. This is the biggest shakeup we've seen in the top-sellers list in a while, so what's going on? The RAV4 Has Fallen To Fifth Place, Somehow Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet If we take a look at the top ten selling SUVs for 2026 so far, we find that numbers are trending upward for all but three models: the Honda CR-V, the Chevrolet Equinox, and the Toyota RAV4. The CR-V lost just under 4,000 sales, and the Equinox fewer than 10,000, while the RAV4 lost 55,533 sales for the first three months of the year. That represents a sales dip of nearly 50%.Despite a dip of 3,888 sales from this time last year, the CR-V has secured an early lead as America's favorite SUV, as of the end of March 2026.In 2025, Toyota sold 479,288 RAV4s, while Honda moved 403,768 CR-Vs. That makes up a difference of 75,520, which is a wider lead than the CR-V currently holds over the RAV4, at just 39,568. This means that Toyota could easily overcome this first-quarter slump to reclaim its crown by the end of the year. But we have to wait and see how things turn out. Toyota Has Basically Been Sitting The First Quarter Out Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet If you've been tracking the RAV4's sales numbers for the last eight years, this first-quarter slump may seem downright inexplicable. The reality is actually quite simple, though. Toyota has been busy ramping up the new hybrid RAV4 for the 2026 model year, meaning that the SUV was absent from the market for the first three months of the year.By the way, this isn't just our speculation or market analysis at work, here. We actually reached out to Toyota for comment, and they said, basically, yeah, that's exactly what's happening.The new one (HEV) recently started production and is just starting to hit dealerships. The PHEV will start production later this spring. So yes, the context behind the sales numbers is the changeover from the previous gen to the new gen.- Toyota RepresentativeIf you hop on the Toyota website right now, the 2026 RAV4 is available to build and price in the configurator, confirming that this is less of a major downturn for the segment-leading crossover than it is a speed bump. We'll check in again once the Q2 2026 numbers are on the books, but we predict that the new RAV4 could easily overcome this first-quarter hurdle and clear 400,000 units sold by the end of the year.In short, Toyota doesn't seem to be worried about this downturn in sales, expecting it to amount to little more than a blip on the radar. When you're talking about the top-selling vehicle for the world's biggest carmaker, by volume, you have to expect a little downtime while reworking your production facilities. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were the assembly lines for the sixth-gen RAV4. The RAV4 Is Now The 4th Hottest Toyota Toyota An interesting side-effect of the new RAV4's delay in hitting the market for 2026 is that it has fallen from Toyota's most popular model to its fourth most popular model. It's still the brand's hottest SUV, but it now falls below a pair of sedans and a pickup. 1. Toyota Camry ToyotaNo surprise to see the Camry holding down the fort for Toyota while the RAV4 does some tinkering in the lab. The Toyota Camry is a few years into its 2023 relaunch, and sales have been on the uptick since this new version hit the market, moving 209,876 units in 2024 and 316,185 in 2025. 2. Toyota Tacoma ToyotaThere aren't many fanbases in automotive culture that compare to that of the Toyota Tacoma. While the last-gen Tacoma has seen a spike in popularity and in price, owing in part to some embarrassing reliability issues when the new one first rolled out, that doesn't mean that the fourth-gen pickup is unpopular, as 69,263 units sold in quarter-one will prove. 3. Toyota Corolla ToyotaThe 12th-gen Toyota Corolla may be a bit long in the tooth by now, having first hit the market in 2018, for the 2019 model year, but that doesn't seem to be affecting its sales all that much. The Corolla had sold 55,456 units by this time a year ago, despite its last major update dating back to 2022, when it received a facelift for the 2023 model year. The Camry's position at the head of the pack is likely to be short-lived, and we won't see a sedan lead a mainstream brand's sales again in the foreseeable future. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 Marks A Dramatic Reinvention For The SUV Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet We mentioned the third-gen Tacoma's resurgence in popularity, owing in part to the fourth-gen's early reliability issues, but also to the fact that the new Tacoma drops the V6 engine entirely in favor of a 2.4-liter i-Force four-cylinder. This means that if you want six cylinders of naturally aspirated power, you have no choice but to find an older, used Tacoma.It's not inconceivable to think that the 2025 RAV4 might see a similar surge in sales, thanks to drivers who want nothing to do with a hybrid version of the car. For the record, we like the new hybrid RAV4. The powertrain produces up to 236 horsepower, and the plug-in can crank out a whopping 320 hp. The entry-level LE with front-wheel drive averages 44 miles per gallon. These numbers are difficult to gripe about.But there will always be drivers who simply want nothing to do with electrification, whether we're talking about EVs, hybrids, or plug-ins. In other words, if you're thinking of trading your RAV4 in for the new model, it might be worth holding off for a bit and seeing if the 2026 relaunch results in a price bump for the outgoing ICE models.Sources: Toyota.