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The Tesla Model 3 ranked first in Cars.com’s 2025 American-Made Index, followed by the Model Y, Model S, Model X and Jeep Gladiator. That ranking estimates a vehicle’s contribution to the U.S. economy; it is not a chart of U.S.-only parts, a tariff ruling or a forecast of what a buyer will pay.
Cars.com’s 20 highest-ranked vehicles in 2025
Cars.com evaluated roughly 400 model-year 2025 vehicles and included 99 in its American-Made Index (AMI). Its top 20 were:
| Rank | Vehicle |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model 3 |
| 2 | Tesla Model Y |
| 3 | Tesla Model S |
| 4 | Tesla Model X |
| 5 | Jeep Gladiator |
| 6 | Kia EV6 |
| 7 | Honda Ridgeline |
| 8 | Honda Odyssey |
| 9 | Honda Passport |
| 10 | Volkswagen ID.4 |
| 11 | Acura MDX |
| 12 | Honda Pilot |
| 13 | Jeep Wrangler |
| 14 | Acura RDX |
| 15 | Honda Accord |
| 16 | Acura Integra |
| 17 | Kia Sportage |
| 18 | Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid |
| 19 | Chevrolet Colorado |
| 20 | Nissan Pathfinder |
This is Cars.com’s model-year 2025 list, published June 17, 2025—not a 2026 ranking. Its eligibility rules exclude some heavy, low-volume and fleet-only vehicles, as well as models that were not yet on sale or did not meet the study’s criteria or data thresholds. See Cars.com’s explanation of the 2025 AMI and its 2025 results announcement.
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Cars.com scores five factors: where final assembly takes place; U.S. and Canadian parts content reported under the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA); the origin of available engines and transmissions; and the automaker’s U.S. vehicle-manufacturing workforce relative to its production. When content or component origins vary by trim, powertrain or assembly site, the index uses sales-weighted scoring. Cars.com said workforce was decisive in Tesla’s lead.
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The combined U.S./Canadian parts figure is not a U.S.-only percentage. Cars.com says public AALA disclosures do not let it separate the U.S. share from the Canadian share, so the index accounts for engine and transmission origin as distinct major components. The result is an estimate of a model’s broader economic footprint, not a calculation of its non-U.S. content for customs purposes.
As Cars.com index lead researcher Patrick Masterson put it, “Global complexity is now front and center for car shoppers.” A vehicle’s brand nationality alone does not establish where that particular model is assembled or where its parts come from.
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How the 2025 auto tariffs work—and what they do not tell you
Under the 2025 Section 232 action described by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an additional 25% duty applied to certain imported passenger vehicles and light trucks beginning April 3, 2025, and to certain imported auto parts beginning May 3, 2025. Those are duties on covered imports, not a rule that every car in the AMI gets a 25% price increase. The treatment of any particular vehicle depends on its import status, applicable origin rules and current measures.
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For an imported vehicle that qualifies under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the importer may submit documentation identifying its U.S. content and seek Commerce Department approval to apply the additional vehicle duty only to the non-U.S. content. This is a conditional process—not an automatic exemption. A high AMI rank does not establish USMCA qualification, the content calculation or whether approval was obtained. CBP’s guidance is available at CSMS #65649652.
Rules and trade measures can change. The cited CBP guidance describes the 2025 action; it does not establish the duty treatment in force for a later purchase or import. A buyer seeking a current answer needs the specific model and its import and origin details, checked against current customs rules.
Why U.S. assembly and tariffs are different questions
- AMI rank: estimates economic contribution using several factors, including combined U.S./Canadian content and workforce.
- Assembly location: identifies where the vehicle is finally assembled, but does not by itself disclose all parts origins or determine a tariff outcome.
- Tariff liability: depends on whether covered goods are imported and on the rules and approvals that apply to them.
- Retail price: reflects the manufacturer’s and dealer’s pricing decisions as well as supply and market conditions. The index cannot predict the price a shopper will see.
Even a vehicle assembled in the United States may use imported parts, but the AMI does not establish the tariff paid on those parts or how any cost affects a vehicle’s transaction price. Cars.com’s U.S./Canadian parts figure is not a substitute for the U.S.-content documentation CBP describes.
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A temporary offset is not a current buyer discount
A White House amendment dated April 29, 2025 established an import-adjustment-offset mechanism for automakers based on the aggregate MSRP value of vehicles assembled in the United States. The published terms set a 3.75% offset period through April 30, 2026. That period has ended; the mechanism should not be treated as a current benefit or a guaranteed reduction in a shopper’s price. The original terms are in the White House amendment.
Why North American supply chains complicate the picture
Vehicles assembled in one country can depend on parts made across borders. In its 2025 report, the U.S. International Trade Commission reported 2024 vehicle-parts imports and exports as follows; the table’s trade figures are attributed to S&P Global’s Global Trade Analytics Suite:
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| Country | 2024 vehicle-parts imports | 2024 vehicle-parts exports |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $182.9 billion | $85.9 billion |
| Mexico | $58.2 billion | $83.2 billion |
| Canada | $37.1 billion | $21.4 billion |
The USITC says most light vehicles and parts produced in Canada and Mexico are exported to the United States. These are country-level trade totals, not estimates of the parts content in any individual car. The report is USMCA Automotive Rules of Origin: Economic Impact and Operation, 2025 Report.
How to compare a car’s domestic footprint
American University’s Kogod School of Business publishes a separate Made in America Auto Index. Its 2025 page gives manufacturer-level total domestic content (TDC) scores including Tesla 84, Honda 56, Ford 55, GM 53 and Stellantis 50. Those are Kogod scores for manufacturers, not model-by-model Cars.com AMI ranks; the two scales and methods should not be combined as if they were equivalent. Review Kogod’s 2025 index alongside the method for the particular ranking you use.
For a useful comparison, keep the same index and model year, then check the dimensions that matter to your question:
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- Where the specific model is finally assembled.
- Whether a parts-content figure is U.S.-only or combines U.S. and Canadian content.
- Where its engine, battery or transmission is sourced, as relevant.
- Whether the index counts manufacturing labor or workforce.
- Whether you need an economic-footprint comparison, a tariff determination or an estimate of your purchase price.
If you are shopping on price, compare current local inventory and obtain a model-specific quote. Neither an index position nor a tariff percentage tells you the final price a dealer will offer.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
