2023 Best Selling Small City Cars In the United States (All Models Ranked)
The Small City Car segment, often referred to as “city cars” or “microcars,” encompasses the smallest road-legal vehicles that are designed primarily for urban use. They’re characterized by their diminutive size, which makes them particularly adept at navigating tight urban spaces and parking scenarios. City cars have always had a niche market in the U.S., where consumer preferences historically lean towards larger vehicles. Wide roads, suburban lifestyles, and the cultural significance of larger cars have contributed to the limited adoption of small city cars.
Even within urban environments, American consumers have displayed a growing preference for compact SUVs and crossovers over city cars. The versatility, elevated driving position, and perceived safety of larger vehicles have made them more attractive. Small city cars generally come with a lower purchase price and can be economical to run. However, the narrowing price gap between city cars and larger compact vehicles, combined with the benefits of the latter, has made it harder for city cars to stand out in terms of value proposition.
Due to limited sales and changing consumer preferences, several automakers have discontinued their city car offerings in the U.S. For instance, the smart brand, which solely focused on microcars, stopped selling its cars in the U.S. and Canada after the 2019 model year due to declining sales. One notable trend within the city car segment has been the move toward electrification. Given their primary use in short-distance, urban environments, city cars are particularly well-suited for electric powertrains. Cars like the smart EQ fortwo went all-electric before the brand’s exit from the U.S. market. The rise of car-sharing platforms and ride-sharing services in urban environments has, to some extent, reduced the need for personal vehicle ownership, impacting the sales of city cars. However, some car-sharing fleets have adopted city cars due to their urban-friendly characteristics.
Unlike the U.S., city cars have enjoyed more popularity in densely populated cities in Europe and parts of Asia, where urban congestion and smaller roadways make such vehicles practical.
Here Are The Most Popular Small City Cars in the U.S for 2023
This data table looks at last month’s total small city car sales volumes in the United States by model. We compare U.S market small car sales for last month with the same month last year. We also include the year to date sales numbers and compare with the same year to date numbers from last year. With both monthly and YTD sales numbers we have a growth rate column so you can better gauge an individual small car sales success in the U.S market.
| Model | Month | Month LY | Change | YTD | YTD LY | YTD Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ∑ = | ∑ = | ∑ = | ∑ = |
2023 U.S Quarterly Small City Car Sales Numbers
This data table looks at quarterly sales performance for the small city car segment in the United States. It includes all major small city car models sold in the U.S market. We compare last quarter’s small city car U.S sales at the model level with the same small city car model sales quarter last year. We also include a growth rate too so you can see which small city car models are growing and which ones are declining. The quarterly view of small city car sales at the model level often gives you a better picture of what is happening than monthly because it takes out some of the month to month noise.
2023 New Small City Car Sales Data by Month in the U.S
This sales data table looks at monthly sales performance for the small city car segment in the United States on a month to month basis for the entire year so far. It includes all major small city car models sold in the U.S market and you can see that the monthly small city car sales trends clearly. Seeing the individual small city car model sales performance in this way gives you a good sense of the momentum (good or bad).
