Which Dodge Model Is The Most Popular Sports Car In 45 US States?

Sports cars certainly catch attention and turn heads on the road, but America's five best-selling vehicles for 2024 were still spacious SUVs and practical pickups. In fact, the most popular model was the Toyota RAV4 crossover SUV (which dethroned the Ford F-150 pickup truck). Only a lucky few among us own a sports car, with iSeeCars reporting that only 2.3% of American drivers own at least one.

But more than the public's ownership rate, the car search engine also listed the most popular sports car in each state — and the answer surprised us. Out of the 50 states in the Union, only five voted differently: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Virginia, and Washington — these states listed the Ford Mustang as their most popular sports car. As for the rest, they picked the Dodge Challenger. We did not expect this result, especially as Dodge discontinued the third-generation Challenger in 2023 and revealed a controversial replacement, the electric Dodge Charger Daytona.

iSeeCars determined this number by looking at the number of one- to five-year-old used cars sold in 2023, checking over 7 million records. While this does not include every generation of the Dodge Charger since 1966, this is still quite a comprehensive list and an impressive achievement for Dodge.

One of the reasons both of the models that made the list are popular is their low starting price. At the time of writing, buyers can get a base-model Ford Mustang EcoBoost Fastback for less than $32,000, with the mid-range 2024 Ford Mustang GT Premium starting at less than $48,000. On the other hand, the most affordable Dodge Challenger SXT started at $30,545 in 2023, while one of the "Last Call" special editions, the 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger, sold for over $66,000. This means no matter your budget range, there was either a Mustang or a Challenger for you.

But when the Challenger was discontinued, the price of the base R/T model of its replacement, the Charger Daytona, shot up to nearly $60,000. The Daytona boasts electric power, the likely reason for its higher price, which gives it a massive bump in power and the capability to outrun a Hellcat Redeye. However, the massive price bump likely placed it out of reach for the average car buyer, even those who can afford to splurge a little cash on a sports car. So, unless Dodge releases another Challenger with a price point similar to its past year models, the Ford Mustang might eventually become the most popular sports car in the U.S.