This was the most searched vehicle in Saskatchewan for 2023

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Drivers in Saskatchewan value practicality above all else, according to a recent year-end report from AutoTrader.ca.

The Ford F-150 proved to be the vehicle at the top of Saskatchewan driver’s minds – retaining its first place search spot from 2022. The model also ranked first for the vast majority of the country, excluding Quebec.

The F-150 was also the most searched and sold vehicle across Canada – excluding Quebec where the Honda Civic reigns supreme.

Search and sale attention led AutoTrader to dub 2023 as the “Year of the Truck” with two trucks appearing in the Canada-wide top ten for the first time since 2019.

“Ninety per cent of the Top 10 vehicles sold in Canada … are functional, utility vehicles, like trucks and SUVs, with not a single luxury brand appearing,” AutoTrader’s report read.

“The departure between the search and sold data sets, perhaps suggests that in a year where wallets are top of mind, Canadians may be interested in aspirational vehicles, but they are landing with more practical purchases.”

The focus on functionality was very apparent in Saskatchewan – with the second place Dodge Ram 1500 and the ninth place Toyota 4Runner making up 80 per cent of the list’s functional vehicles.

Following trends from recent years, luxury vehicles continue to be out of the running in Saskatchewan – while the Honda Civic and Jeep Grand Cherokee fell off the province’s top ten.

With the effects of the global microchip shortage fading, new vehicle inventory has rebounded since early 2023 – rising to 41 per cent of inventory from 30 per cent in 2022.

This has led to an impact on used vehicle interest – with prices declining since July. Inventory has grown above 2022 levels since the first quarter.

According to the report, interest in buying an electric vehicle (EV) has fallen 12 per cent since last year – recorded most recently as 56 per cent.

Main concerns for potential EV customers remain vehicle prices, interest rates and inflation.