There a lot of ways you can divide our state into “two Maines.” North and south. Coastal and inland. Subaru drivers and pickup truck owners. In reality, the Toyota RAV4 was the most popular non-pickup in the state among 2024 new vehicle registrations, according to automotive information services company Edmunds. But maybe more significant than statistics are our perceptions of what Mainers drive — and what those vehicles say about them. Even if we think cost, dependability and appearance are the driving factors in our vehicle-purchasing decisions, there are other reasons, conscious or not, we might be drawn to a certain make of car, like brand loyalty or, as we’ve become painfully aware, political affiliation. The overly simplified breakdown, studies have shown, is that Republicans have a preference for larger, American-made cars and Democrats for smaller, more environmentally friendly ones, but Tesla owner Elon Musk has gotten people in a pretzel over what driving his American-made electric cars say about them: Do they convey concern about the climate or show allegiance to President Donald Trump and his right-hand man? Although Tesla registrations in Portland’s liberal suburbs, where they had been highest, seem to have dropped from their peak in recent months, the 646 registrations statewide between January and March were about triple year over year, according the Secretary of State’s Office, though the company’s profits fell 71% in the same time period. However, compared to the quarterly average for the rest of 2024, Maine registrations have declined as well. That’s because Tesla’s popularity was just starting to pick up steam in Maine last year, as charging stations multiplied and dealerships opened elsewhere in New England. (Though there are no Tesla dealerships in Maine, the company has taken out permits for one in Portland, and there are others that sell used Teslas.) At the same time, some remorseful Tesla owners have tried to manage their reputations with bumper stickers separating themselves from Musk, who said this week he plans to spend less time in Washington. But the fact that sales in Maine haven’t fallen off completely since Musk started hacking away at the federal budget means that either the brand has found a new customer base or that Mainers aren’t overly worried about what assumptions people might make by the emblem on their trunk — perhaps knowing the real judgment is reserved for whatever state is on the plates beneath it. But the cars we choose to drive, much like the clothes we wear, have always said something about our cultural identity — whether we want to appear wealthy, practical, rugged or stylish. “The merging of culture and politics is a more recent phenomenon,” said Jeff Aronson, editor of Land Rover enthusiast quarterly Rovers Magazine and a resident of Vinalhaven. So, let’s forget about the twisted-up Tesla owners for now and look at the cars that are most popular with Mainers and what they might say about their mindset when buying them. PICKING A PICKUP The popularity of pickup trucks — with three of them among the state’s five bestselling vehicles last year — can’t all be attributed to the prevalence of people working in manual labor, said Aronson. He believes the fact that they can be customized — with different wheels, mirrors, paint schemes and more — is one major reason they appeal to all sorts of customers. With so many cars today that look exactly alike, Aronson said, “it signals your distinctiveness.” They’re also marketed as vehicles for adventure, giving owners the “emotional boost” of knowing they can go anywhere, Aronson said, even if they’re mostly using it to commute to work and occasionally cart their kids’ soccer gear. “There’s no ad on television or streaming services that shows a pickup truck going quietly to the dump,” he said. As far as choosing a make of truck, Ford — whose F-Series was last year’s bestselling vehicle in Maine and nationally — isn’t seen as as durable as a Chevy or GMC (whose Silverado and Sierra were Maine’s second and fourth bestsellers, respectively), but they’re “tremendously useful,” Aronson said. “You know when you step out of the lot, you have a good working truck.” Richie Axelsen, president and owner of Scarborough-based Auto Buying Assistant, said the Ford F-150’s lower price point makes it accessible to more people who just want to be truck owners and don’t necessarily need to use it for things like towing or plowing. If performance is important, Chevy or GMC is the way to go, he said. As far as appearance, the biggest statement-maker is the (formerly Dodge) Ram, which isn’t practically much different from the others, but has a more distinct style, Aronson said. “They are seen as tough, very in-your-face vehicles.” The Toyota Tacoma, which Axelsen recommends to anyone looking for a smaller truck, is the only other model that’s made any inroads into the market, Aronson said, thanks to the brand’s reputation for reliability — something buyers may have learned from another family member with a different model. CROSSING OVER That brings us back to the RAV4, the most popular new vehicle last year in a handful of states, among the top five in most and No. 3 in Maine, according to Edmunds. The fuel-efficient, all-wheel drive crossover SUV is good in winter, seats five people comfortably and was a well-made vehicle from its first generation, Aronson said. Toyotas and Hondas are the most popular makes among Axelsen’s clients, and he said people who are looking to buy them have generally owned those brands of cars before, as have their parents and grandparents before that. “It’s a generational thing,” he said. Subarus — like the Forester, Maine’s fifth most popular car last year — have a lot of the same qualities, as well as “some design elements that help it stand out,” Aronson said. Between that and the fact that they’re not as popular elsewhere might be why were perceive them as more common than they are in Maine, though I suspect its Outback and Crosstrek are pretty high on the list as well. (The Secretary of State’s Office said it couldn’t provide additional data about vehicle registrations because staff was too busy dealing with the implementation of the Real ID requirement.) Subaru is the third most popular make among clients of Axelsen, who traces the company’s stronghold in Maine to when Toyota and Honda didn’t have a sedan with all-wheel drive. Subaru always did. Aronson said that in Vermont, where he used to live, Subaru took over as the go-to reasonable, reliable winter car from Saab, when that brand became more luxury. Now, he said, it still has the reliability reputation but has upgraded its interiors. Axelsen said the brand has become associated with environmental-friendliness, a love of the outdoors and left-leaning politics, but more than anything, dog ownership — evidenced by the commercials featuring a family of dogs sitting in the seats in place of people. “If you have a Subaru, and you don’t have a dog, something’s wrong,” he said.