There are a lot of new cars on the market this year, and some of the best new cars on the market right now are luxury SUVs. There are a lot of great luxury SUV options to choose from, but car shoppers generally can’t go wrong with the options that everyone else is buying. Here’s a look at the three most popular luxury SUVs so far this year. 

This is the best-selling luxury SUV so far in 2023

GoodCarBadCar posted the updated sales numbers for the year, and the sales data is up to date for the first half of the year. Overall, SUVs are selling very well in the American car market, and that’s true even for luxury SUVs. Right now, the best-selling luxury SUV is the Lexus RX, and it’s not even close.

Lexus has sold over 57,000 units of the RX in the first half of the year, and that’s 20,000 more units than the next best-selling luxury SUV.

On top of that, the RX’s sales numbers are actually competitive with a lot of mass-market cars. For example, the RX is currently selling better than regular SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe, the Honda Pilot, and the Kia Telluride. The RX’s sales numbers are also better than many other well-known cars, such as the Ford Maverick, the Dodge Charger, and the Hyundai Palisade. 

Lexus’ sales of the RX have also been growing. In June 2023, Lexus sold just over 9,800 units of the luxury SUV. That’s a 10.7% increase from June 2022. The RX also had a sizable sales growth year-over-year, as compared to the first half of 2022, Lexus has sold 6.7% more RXs than before. 

These two luxury SUVs are in a close race against each other

The second and third most popular luxury SUVs are selling almost identical amounts right now. The BMW X5 is in second place, as BMW has sold 35,890 units of the midsize luxury SUV. The Audi Q5, meanwhile, is in third place, and Audi has sold 35,340 units of the compact luxury SUV. That’s a difference of only around 600 units, which means that the Q5 could overtake the X5 by the end of the year.

Based on the sales growth of the two German luxury SUVs, the Q5 seems destined to overtake the X5 eventually. Compared to last year, the Beemer’s sales numbers are practically flat as it’s selling 1% better than before. The Audi, on the other hand, is seeing a significant growth in sales this year. So far in 2023, the Q5 is selling almost 36% better than it was selling last year. 

Either way, these sales numbers are decent even compared to normal SUVs. For example, both the X5 and the Q5 are selling better than notable cars like the Chevy Colorado, the Subaru Ascent, and the Toyota Corolla Cross.  

There may be a more popular luxury SUV depending on how you define ‘luxury’

While most people can agree that Lexus, BMW, and Audi are luxury automakers, the best-selling SUV may be a Tesla if the company is considered a luxury automaker. This is a controversial topic since some Teslas have luxury features but many don’t, and as such, most people don’t consider the company to be a luxury car company.

For folks who do consider Tesla to be a luxury automaker, the best-selling luxury SUV is the Tesla Model Y, and it’s not much of a contest. So far this year, Tesla has sold over 190,000 units of the Model Y, and that’s more cars sold than the RX, X5, and Q5 combined. In fact, the Model Y’s sales numbers make it the fourth best-selling vehicle in America.