Ask what actually moves in New York City and the answer is rarely exotic. Drivers across the five boroughs want something that fits a tight parking spot, survives the BQE and the Cross Bronx at rush hour, and holds its value three winters from now. July’s share numbers at Plaza Auto Mall — a family-owned dealership group serving NYC since 1975 — line up with that logic almost perfectly.
Top 5 used sellers
1. Honda CR-V — 7% of used sales. The default answer for New York City families. Real cargo space without a footprint that turns every parallel park into a negotiation, plus a reliability record that keeps resale strong.
2. Toyota RAV4 — 5.5%. The CR-V’s closest rival and a magnet for anyone who wants available all-wheel drive before the first snow. Hybrid trims move fastest.
3. Mazda CX-5 — 4.4%. The enthusiast’s compact crossover. Sharper steering and a cabin that punches above its price bracket.
4. Honda Accord Sedan — 4%. Proof the midsize sedan isn’t finished. Comfortable on a run up the Taconic, efficient enough for a daily commute.
5. Honda Civic Sedan — 3.9%. First cars, second cars, and rideshare workhorses in a city with tens of thousands of TLC drivers. Cheap to insure, cheap to fuel, easy to park.
Together, five nameplates account for nearly a quarter of every used vehicle sold — in a market with hundreds of options on the lot.
Top 5 certified pre-owned sellers
1. Honda CR-V — 11.8% of CPO sales. Nearly one in eight certified sales, up from 7% on the used side. Nothing else on the lot converts a warranty into demand this efficiently.
2. Toyota Corolla — 9%. Low running costs plus factory-backed coverage — the safest entry point into car ownership there is.
3. Honda Accord Sedan — 6.3%. The midsize sedan climbs from 4% of used sales to 6.3% here — sedan buyers put more weight on factory certification than crossover buyers do.
4. Hyundai Tucson Hybrid — 4.2%. Fuel economy that pays for itself in stop-and-go traffic, with Hyundai’s certified warranty behind it.
5. Hyundai Tucson — 3.8%. The value pick of the compact crossover class, loaded with standard tech.
CPO concentrates harder than used: the top five take 35% of the category against 25% on the used side, and the top two alone take more than 20%. Two Hondas appear on both lists, and both sell a larger share certified than they do used. When a factory warranty is attached, buyers narrow toward the nameplates they already trust.
Why NYC buyers cross-shop here
Plaza Auto Mall keeps more than 1,000 vehicles on a single block, so comparing a CR-V against a RAV4 against a CX-5 means walking a few hundred feet instead of driving across three boroughs. Used cars in New York City are rarely this concentrated: the inventory spans every brand, while new and CPO buyers can shop five franchises — Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Acura — under one roof and test drive them back to back the same afternoon.
The rest is built for the long term: on-site service, OEM parts, a full body shop, EV charging, free CARFAX reports on used and CPO vehicles, free delivery within 25 miles — enough to cover all five boroughs, much of Nassau County, and parts of northern New Jersey — and same-day trade appraisals or cash offers whether or not you buy. Financing pre-approval doesn’t require a Social Security number or date of birth, and nobody works on a pressure clock, a policy the family has kept for fifty years.
