Ford vs. GM Q3 Sales: Who Really Won the Third Quarter?

Cory Fourniquet   |  

Oct 2, 2026

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email

Ford and GM both reported third-quarter sales this week, and at first glance, the results look almost identical. GM’s U.S. sales fell 6% to 670,974 vehicles, while Ford’s dropped 6.6% to 509,764. Both companies blamed most of that decline on vehicles they chose to stop building.

Look closer, though, and the two Detroit rivals are winning in very different ways. Ford is leaning on trucks, hybrids, and off-road models, while GM is riding full-size pickups, big SUVs, and affordable small crossovers. Here is how Ford and GM sales stack up, based on our coverage of GM’s third quarter and Ford’s third quarter.

GM Outsold Ford by More Than 160,000 Vehicles

On total volume, GM wins easily. Its 670,974 sales beat Ford’s 509,764 by 161,210 vehicles. GM also outsold Ford with its Chevrolet brand alone, which moved 437,321 vehicles.

Still, both companies had a similar excuse for being down. GM pointed to a much smaller EV market and discontinued vehicles. Ford pointed to the planned phase-out of the Escape and Lincoln Corsair. In fact, Ford says its volume was essentially flat without those two models, compared with an industry decline of about 1%.

The Truck War: Both Sides Have a Claim

This is where it gets interesting, because both companies can say they are winning. Ford says the F-Series is more than 140,000 trucks ahead of the Chevrolet Silverado through September, which keeps it on track for its 50th straight year as America’s best-selling truck. F-Series sales also rose 2.4% in September to 67,448.

GM, however, counts the Silverado and GMC Sierra together. Combined, the two sold 233,229 trucks in the third quarter, and GM says it extended its lead in the full-size pickup segment. The light-duty Silverado was the star, with sales up 13.3% to 100,221. On the other hand, heavy-duty sales slipped for both the Silverado HD and Sierra HD.

Meanwhile, Ford’s Super Duty had its best production quarter in 19 years, so Ford has plenty of heavy-duty trucks to sell heading into the fall. If you want to see how these trucks compare on capability, check out our look at the 2027 heavy-duty towing war.

Ford Hybrids Shine While GM EVs Slide

The biggest difference between the two companies is electrification. Ford’s hybrid trucks are selling well. The Maverick Hybrid set a third-quarter record with 27,793 sales, up 59.6%, and F-150 Hybrid sales reached 34,527 through September.

GM’s U.S. lineup leans on EVs rather than hybrids, and that hurt it this quarter. For example, Equinox EV sales fell 92.4%, Blazer EV sales dropped 84.4%, and Silverado EV sales fell 58%. Even the Cadillac Lyriq, once a bright spot, was down 50.5%. Simply put, there is less EV demand to go around right now.

GM Owns the Affordable Small SUV Space

GM’s affordable small SUVs had their best quarter ever. Trax sales climbed 16.3% to 57,917, the Trailblazer jumped 51.1% to 31,075, and the Buick Envista rose 18.4% to 18,094.

Ford, by contrast, no longer has a direct answer now that the Escape is going away. Instead, its entry point is a mix of the Maverick, Ranger, and Bronco Sport, which grew a combined 9.5% to 112,627 sales through September. That is a solid number, but GM is clearly picking up budget-minded crossover buyers.

Ford Leads in Three-Row SUVs and Off-Road

Ford says its Explorer and Expedition combined for 249,481 sales through September, which makes Ford the best-selling brand in the large three-row SUV segment, ahead of Chevrolet. The Explorer alone was up 17.6% for the year.

On GM’s side, the GMC Yukon rose 8% in the quarter, but the Chevrolet Tahoe slipped 2.6%, the Suburban fell 11.1%, and the Traverse was essentially flat. In addition, the Cadillac Escalade dropped 15.4%.

Off-road is another clear Ford win. Its Bronco, Raptor, Tremor, and FX4 models made up 24% of Ford’s sales through September, and the Bronco set a third-quarter record with 38,020 sales. GM’s bright spots here were the GMC Canyon, which had its best quarter ever, and the Corvette, which climbed 28.5%.

Lincoln Gains While Cadillac Struggles

In the luxury space, Lincoln had the better quarter. Nautilus sales rose 17.7% to 9,066, its best third quarter since the MKX entered the segment in 2007, and the Aviator climbed 11.3% to 4,887. The Navigator was up as well.

Cadillac, on the other hand, saw total sales fall 30% to 32,560, with steep declines for the XT6, Lyriq, and Escalade IQ. Even so, the CT5 Blackwing had its best third quarter ever, and Cadillac grew its share of the luxury EV market.

Ford vs. GM Sales by the Numbers

Here is a side-by-side look at the numbers both companies reported. Keep in mind that Ford shared some figures only for the full year to date, so not every line compares the same time period.

What to Watch in the Fourth Quarter

Now the fourth quarter gets interesting. GM’s redesigned 2027 Silverado and Sierra are about to reach dealers, and we have already spent time with the 2027 Silverado High Country. As a result, GM could widen its full-size pickup lead.

Ford, meanwhile, is dealing with a short-term F-150 supplier issue that hit production at the end of September. Ford also has new special editions on the way, including the F-150 Carhartt Edition and the Bronco Filson and RTR editions. The truck war is far from over, and we will keep tracking Ford and GM sales every quarter.