Chevrolet cars at a dealership
Chevrolet cars at a dealership

With more than 125 different vehicle nameplates been manufactured in the U.S. for the model year 2021, being the most American-made car boils down to more than just being produced in a factory in the states.

A survey by Cars.com on Wednesday named the most American-made cars, analyzing factors such as percentage of U.S. parts, country of origin for engine and transmissions, and the number of U.S. employees per footprint.

The results? They may surprise you as the top spot went to all-electric carmaker for the first time in the 16-year history of the survey.

Tesla took home the honors as being the most American-made car with its Model 3, which is assembled in Fremont, California.

While the Model 3 held the top spot for 2021, it is not the first time that Tesla has appeared in Cars.com’s Most American-Made Cars list.

In 2020, the Model S and Model 3 cars in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, and the Model X took the No. 9 spot that same year.

This year, Tesla also has its Model Y in the No. 3 spot as the Most American Made car – also made in Fremont.

Tesla’s Model 3 was followed by the Ford’s 2021 Mustang muscle car, which is built at its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant.

In 2020, Ford took top honors in Cars.com’s survey as the Most American-Made Car with its Ford Ranger.

For 2021, the No. 4 spot goes to the popular Jeep Cherokee, down from No.2 in 2020, assembled in Belvidere, Illinois, trailed by the Chevrolet Corvette (Bowling Green, Kentucky) and the Honda Ridgeline (Lincoln, Alabama).

Honda also has taken the next three spots with its Odyssey, Pilot, and Passport vehicles, which are also produced in Lincoln. The Odyssey was No. 5 in Cars.com’s survey in 2020.

In the tenth and final spot on Cars.com Most American-Made Cars survey is carmaker Toyota’s Tundra model, which is made at its San Antonio, Texas, production plant.

The least American-made car went to the 2021 Honda Civic, which was in the No. 90 spot on Cars.com’s survey.

Cars in dealership lot

Chevrolet automobiles on a dealership lot. Photo: Reuters