If you ask the average American about the best-selling cars in America, a few models may come to mind. Many people drive trucks like the Ford F-150 or sedans like the Toyota Camry, and they are some of the best-selling cars in the U.S. That being said, surprisingly, Ford Transit vans are also some of the best-selling cars in America.

The Ford Transit is one of the best-selling vehicles in America

Car and Driver recently compiled a list of the best-selling cars in 2020 in America, and the list was full of the usual suspects. While the collapse of the global economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sharp decline in sales for many cars, people still had to buy cars, and most of those cars were what regular Americans would assume that other Americans were driving.

For example, the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado, and the Ram trucks rounded out the top three best-selling models. The Camry, the Honda Accord, and a few other sedans also made it on the list. The booming SUV market also allowed plenty of SUVs like the Nissan Rogue or the Subaru Outback to get on the list. But one car on that list was not like the others, and it was the Ford Transit.

Like Car and Driver said, the Ford Transit van sold just over 130,000 units in 2020, putting it in 24th place. It saw a drop in sales of about 15 percent from 2019, which was about average compared to every other car that made it onto the list. It was a close race, though, since the Transit beat the 25th best-selling car, the Toyota 4Runner, by just 2,500 sales. 

Why the 2021 Ford Transit sold well

The Ford Transit is definitely the most unusual car on Car and Driver’s list since it’s a full-size van rather than a minivan, and as such, it’s not exactly a car that many people drive around. However, in the van world, the Transit is actually one of the best options for folks who want a full-size van, according to Car and Driver. 

The Ford Transit, which starts at about $36,000, was ranked by Car and Driver as the best van on the market, and it had an overall score of 9 out of 10. Like most other vans, the Transit is usually bought for business-related cargo reasons, but Ford also offers passenger variants that will allow the Transit to carry up to 15 people.

And for the 2021 Transit, as Car and Driver said, there aren’t that many changes from the 2020 model, but Ford did apparently improve its cargo capacity slightly. It’s unknown how much more cargo the 2021 Transit can carry, but the 2020 Transit could tow about 7,500 pounds and it could carry over 4,500 pounds.

An overview of the 2021 Ford Transit

The reason why the Ford Transit can carry around so much stuff is largely due to its engine. It comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 that gets about 275 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, and Ford offers a turbocharged version that gets 310 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque instead. The turbocharged version gets about 17 MPG, according to Car and Driver.

Since the Transit is often used by businesses to move stuff around, its interior is pretty sparse. Car and Driver said that there’s a 4.0-inch display, a WiFi hotspot, and two USB ports, among a few other things. That said, the Transit does come with a couple of smart safety features, including lane keep assist and lane departure warning. 

Given these capabilities and standard features, it’s not a surprise that the Transit has continued to sell well despite the pandemic since businesses still need vans like the Transit to move stuff around.