In 2021, the Canadian auto industry rebounded from its 20% drop in 2020, caused by the onset of COVID-19. New light-duty vehicle sales in Canada increased to 1.66 million units in 2021, an improvement of 6.9% from a historically bad 2020.

However, the 2021 rebound wasn't as high as hoped for, due to the global chip shortage and other supply issues. This resulted in the industry being well shy of pre-pandemic totals.

Crossovers and pickup trucks seem to be taking over the automotive market, as consumers are flocking to these bigger vehicles versus more compact or midsize sedans and hatchbacks. As a result, the most popular cars in Canada don’t sell nearly as well as utility vehicles.

Each passing year finds the passenger car category’s take rate getting smaller and smaller. Even though sales were up year over year by 0.8% (up from 320,840 to 323,407 units), it represented 19.5% of the Canadian market in 2021, compared to 20.7% in 2020. Meanwhile, pickup trucks accounted for 26.3% in 2021, and SUVs and crossovers made up the remaining 54.2%.

New light-duty vehicle sales in Canada increased to 1.66 million units in 2021, an improvement of 6.9 percent from a historically bad 2020. However, the global chip shortage and other supply issues are keeping the industry well shy of pre-pandemic totals

At 1.66 million units, new light-duty vehicle sales rose 6.9 % from 2020, according to the Automotive News Data Center. This was still approximately 300,000 units short of 2019's total units sold.

2021 marks the 13th consecutive year in which Ford ended the year as Canada's top brand. They topped every other automaker, selling 243,447 new vehicles in the country.  Ford outsold its nearest rival by more than 36,000 units, despite only selling 5,146 passenger cars- 4,224 of which were Mustangs. Unsurprisingly, Ford’s F-Series (F-150 and Super Duty) remained the best-selling vehicle in Canada with 116,401 units.

As for passenger cars, the Honda Civic held off the rising Toyota Corolla with 43,556 units sold, keeping its crown for another year.

Overall, Toyota took second place with 225,215 units sold and General Motors came in third with 217,475 units sold, respectively. Hyundai-Kia came 4th with 210,377 units sold.

Brands that increased their sales the most:

• Genesis up 213%
• Chrysler up 150%
• Mitsubishi up 47%
• Tesla up 37%
• Porsche up 30%
• Volkswagen up 25%

Brands with the largest decline in sales in 2021 include:

• Fiat down 65%
• Dodge down 52%
• Jaguar down 14%
• Buick down 4%
• MINI down 3%
• Chevrolet down 3%

The Car Guide (guideautoweb.com) published its Top 10 lists for 2021. Below we'll review the Top 10 selling cars in Canada in 2021.

# 10. Volkswagen Golf - Total sales of 8,589 units (down 34.5% from 2020)

#9. Nissan Sentra - Total sales of 10,017 units (up 47.2% from 2020)

#8. Mazda3 - Total sales of 11,804 units (down 7.6% from 2020)

#7. Volkswagen Jetta - Total sales of 12,585 units (up 19.3% from 2020)

#6. Toyota Camry - Total sales of 11,896 units (up 16.9% from 2020)

#5. Tesla Model 3 - Total sales of 12,800 units estimated (up 14.3% from 2020)

#4. Kia Forte - Total sales of 14,428 units (up 0.4% from 2020)

#3. Hyundai Elantra - Total sales of 26,312 units (up 19.6% from 2020)

#2. Toyota Corolla - Total sales of 40,019 units (up 20.6% from 2020)

#1. Honda Civic - Total sales of 43,556 units (up 1.3% from 2020)

If you're looking for insurance for any of these top cars or any other vehicles, you can find the best insurance rates online or by calling Best Buy Insurance at 877-813-5710.