Nissan and Honda's top-selling models show how powerful a tie-up between the former rivals could be

• Nissan and Honda are reportedly engaged in merger talks.
• The US is an extremely important market for both brands.
• Honda and Nissan's top sellers are their respective compact SUVs, the CR-V and Rogue.

Honda and Nissan, two of the world's largest automakers, may be working on a possible merger that would allow them to share development and production resources to combat competitive pressure from China and EV startups.

In the US, the largest market for both automakers, there's considerable overlap between the two rivals. In most of the overlapping segments, from subcompact cars to midsize SUVs, Honda's models usually have an edge in sales versus their Nissan counterparts.

For example, Honda's volume leader, the compact CR-V crossover, has outsold the rival Nissan Rogue by more than 100,000 units this year.

There are other segments of the market where one of the companies could help fill in gaps where the other is lacking.

For example, Honda has never built a traditional, body-on-frame truck or SUV. Honda's only truck, the Ridgeline, is built on a platform derived from the Odyssey minivan. On the other hand, Nissan has decades of experience building trucks and has, in the past, helped brands like Mercedes-Benz build pickups.

Honda does not have a presence in the full-size SUV market, a highly competitive but lucrative segment, with transaction prices often reaching six figures. Nissan has long been a player with its Armada and Infiniti QX80 SUVs.

Conversely, Honda is one of the few brands still selling a minivan in the US. Nissan and its Quest minivan vacated the market a decade ago due to poor sales.

Honda and Nissan both need help on EVs

Both automakers are behind the curve when it comes to electrification. Nissan was an early leader in the segment with the groundbreaking Leaf, but has since failed to substantially build on that success in the subsequent decade.

The company's Ariya EV, which launched in 2022, was a step in the right direction but is far from industry-leading in terms of performance, technology, and popularity.

Honda is even further behind. Despite dipping its toes into the EV game with the experimental EV Plus in 1997, Honda still hasn't introduced a modern, self-developed EV for the US market. The company did launch the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX EV SUVs this year, but both are built by General Motors using GM's Ultium EV platform.

Pooling resources, like many other automakers have done in recent years, could help speed up the development timeline for new EVs while reducing production costs by using shared parts.

Here's a closer look at the five top-selling models in the US from Nissan and Honda:

1. Nissan Rogue

2024 Sales (through Q3): 189,156

The Rogue is Nissan's top seller, and given the popularity of the compact SUV segment, the brand's most important product. Business Insider recently reviewed the Rogue and was impressed by its punchy three-cylinder engine.

2. Nissan Sentra

2024 Sales (through Q3): 123,732

For decades, the Sentra has been one of the most popular subcompact economy cars in the US. We recently reviewed a 2024 Sentra and found it to be an attractively styled little sedan at an affordable price.

3. Nissan Altima

2024 Sales (through Q3): 86,679

The midsize Altima is Nissan's answer to the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Hyundai Sonata. Despite its relatively strong sales, Nissan reportedly plans to end production of the Altima after 2026.

4. Nissan Pathfinder

2024 Sales (through Q3): 58,896

The Pathfinder has been a staple of Nissan's SUV lineup since its launch back in 1986. The current fifth-generation Pathfinder SUV launched in 2022.

5. Nissan Frontier

2024 Sales (through Q3): 54,257

The Frontier is one of the most popular midsize pickups on sale today. The current third generation launched in 2022.

1. Honda CR-V

2024 Sales (through Q3): 298,164

The CR-V has been Honda's best-selling model in the US since 2017. We recently reviewed a 2025 CR-V Hybrid and found it to be one of the best small SUVs on sale today.

2. Honda Civic

2024 Sales (through Q3): 188,422

The compact Civic is one of the models that helped Honda establish itself as an automaker more than 40 years ago.

3. Honda Accord

2024 Sales (through Q3): 124,689

Until the rise of SUVs in the last decade, the Accord held the mantle as Honda's top seller. In fact, the Accord was the last vehicle to dethrone the mighty Toyota Camry as America's best selling car more than two decades ago.

4. Honda HR-V

2024 Sales (through Q3): 114,805

The subcompact HR-V is Honda's smallest and most affordable SUV, competing directly against the Nissan Kicks and Toyota Corolla Cross.

5. Honda Pilot

2024 Sales (through Q3): 103,115

The Honda Pilot is one of the most popular family SUVs on sale today. We recently reviewed a 2025 Pilot Elite and came away impressed by its smooth V6 engine, smartly designed cabin, and superb quality.