The pandemic has been rough on many people’s finances and on many industries as well, including the new car market. It’s had the opposite effect on used-car sales though. More people have wanted to avoid public transportation as they travel or commute, according to Bumper. Just in June, there was a 22 percent increase in sales of used cars and trucks compared to last year. It was also the most sales since 2007.

Bumper took a look at 134,000 vehicle VIN number searches made between April 1 and September 15, 2020, to see what the trends have been during this phase of the pandemic. The VIN number is often the last thing buyers look up before making a purchase in order to check the service history and auto specification of a used car. During this time, Bumper found that the two most popular searches were both for trucks: the Ford F-150 and the Chevy Silverado 1500.

People like Ford and Chevy and older vehicles

People like Ford and Chevy, and they especially like Ford and Chevy trucks. Ford vehicles were the most searched for in 31 states. Chevrolet came in second as the most popular in 15 states. Ford and Chevy tied for the most popular search in one state (Pennsylvania). Honda topped the list in three states, and Toyota was top in just one (Vermont).

People are looking for older vehicles. The average age of the used vehicles being searched for was 12 years, and 32 percent of the searches were for vehicles 16 years old or older. Most of the searches were for vehicles six to 10 years old (23 percent) or 11 to 15 years old (23 percent). Just 21 percent of searches were for vehicles between one and five years old.

Ford and Chevy trucks are the most popular used models during the pandemic

The Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 topped the list as the two most-searched vehicles. They’re also notable as the only trucks in the top ten. These two trucks were followed by five Japanese sedans in the third through seventh spots: Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Corolla. The top ten was filled out with the Ford Mustang, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the Ford Explorer.

These most popular searches had average ages between nine and 14 years. The two trucks were right in the mix, with the average Ford F-150 at 12 years old and the Chevy Silverado 1500 at 11 years old. While TorqueNews wasn’t surprised so many people were interested in trucks, it was surprised that the Ram truck didn’t make an appearance in the top ten.

What are the most popular used vehicles in your state during the pandemic?

In addition to being the most popular searches nationwide, the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado 1500 were also the two most popular used vehicle searches in 18 states. That includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Interestingly, the positions were reversed in two states, Alabama and Minnesota, where the Silverado came in first with the F-150 second.

In 11 states, people searched for used midsize and compact sedans the most. In three states, they searched for SUVs the most. There were only four states where used trucks didn’t feature in the three most-popular vehicle search spots: California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. It isn’t too surprising that the Ford F-150 is the most searched for vehicle right now, since it has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for more than 40 years, according to TorqueNews.

Maybe you’re wondering what other people are buying, or maybe you’re wondering if people might want to buy your older truck. Either way, in most of the country, the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado 1500 were the two favorites.