Feb 7, 2018
seattle popular cars

Seattleites love their cars. According to a recent report by the Seattle Times, there are 637 cars in the city for every 1,000 people. That makes Seattle the leader in cars per capita among the top 10 most populous big cities in America, a list that includes the bustling urban centers of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston and New York City.

As the rate of car ownership in the city continues to increase, it makes sense to examine exactly which cars Seattleites are purchasing.

What’s the Deal with Seattle and Subarus?

First, we must address the elephant in the room – the overabundance of Subarus in Seattle. It’s a stereotype that gets repeated again and again, and it begs the question: just how many Subarus do Seattleites actually own?

As it turns out, not that many, but still more than the majority of the country.

Generally speaking, nine percent of all Seattle cars are Subarus, meaning you’re likely to run into a fair amount of them on your morning commute. This high level of visibility is probably how Seattle got their reputation for Subaru fanaticism.

When looking at models specifically, the Subaru Outback was Washington state’s car of choice in 2016, a preference also shared by those living in Colorado and Oregon. By contrast, a whopping 22 states preferred the beefy Ford F-150 pickup truck that same year.

Despite what these stats suggest, though, Subarus are not even close to the preferred car brand in Seattle. Here is a breakdown of the city’s top ten car brands, ranked in accordance with the number of cars owned from each.

  • 1. Toyota – 57,000
  • 2. Honda – 43,000
  • 3. Subaru – 28,000
  • 4. Ford/VW (tie) – 19,000
  • 5. Nissan/Chevrolet (tie) – 12,000
  • 6. Mazda – 11,000
  • 7. BMW – 10,000
  • 8. Mercedes Benz – 9,0002

As you can see, Toyotas and Hondas far surpass Subarus as the most popular cars in Seattle.

What About Average Cost and Model Year?

Another common assumption is that Seattle must have many fancy cars because of its burgeoning tech industry and increasing number of affluent residents. There is some level of truth to this. Seattle is home to an impressive array of luxury vehicles, with the most expensive being a 2003 Enzo Ferrari valued at $653,000.2 Luxury vehicles may even match or surpass Subarus in popularity someday, based on recent car ownership stats.4

However, it’s unfair to paint Seattleites with such a broad brush and suggest they are all spending exorbitant amounts of money on high-end cars. The reality is many residents are surprisingly economical with their car choices, with the average car price being a very reasonable $26,000.

It’s also worth mentioning not everyone is buying new just to fit in with modern tastes. More than 160,000 cars in Seattle have a model year between 2000 and 2010.2 This means that Seattle residents are either holding onto their cars for long periods of time or buying pre-owned to save some money.

Find the Perfect Ride with Honda of Seattle

There is a reason why Hondas are wildly popular among Seattle residents – they are affordable yet stylish and come with the very best in standard safety features. At Honda of Seattle, we carry a broad range of new and pre-owned Honda vehicles that suit a variety of lifestyles, including Civics, Accords, CR-Vs and many more.

If you dread the dealership experience, you’ll be happy to know that car-buying is especially easy and transparent with Honda of Seattle’s online Express Store.

  • 1. Conveniently shop from a wide range of makes and models or design your dream car
  • 2. Pay our lowest price
  • 3. Have the car delivered right to your door or pick it up at our dealership once it’s ready

To start searching for your perfect Honda, visit the online Express Store, stop by our dealership or call us at 206-382-8800 today!