You might expect that people with substantial annual incomes would be more likely to favor flashy sports cars and other luxury models. However, a recent analysis by the automotive site Edmunds.com found that wealthy buyers actually prefer to buy trucks and SUVs.

The site looked at data on new vehicles registered in the first half of 2016 from R.L. Polk & Co., now part of the market research company IHS Markit, to examine the buying habits of people making more than $250,000 a year. The Ford F-Series was the bestselling vehicle in this income bracket, and was also the most frequently registered vehicle among buyers earning less than $250,000 a year.

Nine of the 10 most popular vehicles among wealthier buyers were trucks or SUVs. The Lexus RX, the fourth bestselling model among wealthier buyers, was the only car to break the top 10. Along with the BMW X5—the fifth bestselling model—it was one of only two luxury models among the 10 vehicles most likely to be bought by someone with a higher income.

Among buyers with annual incomes under $250,000, six of the 10 bestselling vehicles were trucks or SUVs. While 40 percent of new vehicles registered to these buyers were SUVs, the share rose to 53 percent among buyers with annual incomes above $250,000.

"America's wealthiest car buyers are all-in on the trend toward bigger vehicles," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com. "And they're not just gravitating toward luxury brands – eight of the 10 most popular vehicles among these buyers are non-luxury vehicles. It suggests that affluent buyers are satisfied with the technology, utility, and performance that mainstream brands have to offer."

Two Honda models were popular among buyers of all incomes. The Accord was the fifth most popular vehicle among buyers earning less than $250,000 and 10th most popular among buyers earning more than $250,000. The CR-V ranked sixth among the former buyers and ninth among the latter. The Honda Pilot was the eight bestselling model in the higher income bracket, while the Honda Civic ranked third in the lower income bracket.

After the Ford F-Series, buyers making more than $250,000 a year were most likely to favor Jeep brands. The Grand Cherokee was the second bestselling model, followed by the Wrangler.

Other top sellers among wealthier buyers included the Ford Explorer, which ranked sixth, and the Toyota Highlander, which ranked seventh.

Three Toyota models were included in the 10 bestsellers among buyers making less than $250,000 a year. The Corolla, Camry, and RAV4 ranked seventh through ninth. Other popular models in this group included the Chevrolet Silverado (second), Ram (fourth), and Ford Escape (10th).

Edmunds analysts also determined which vehicles had the highest share of buyers earning more than $250,000. The Jaguar XKR was the most popular, followed by the Audi S8 and Ferrari 458.

Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, and Jaguar each had two models among the 10 most popular vehicles in this list, while the Tesla Model X ranked eighth. However, these 10 models only accounted for 0.7 percent of all vehicles registered in the first half of 2016 by buyers making more than $250,000 a year.

"There will always be an interest in and market for high-end exotic vehicles," said Caldwell. "But overall, most of the wealthiest Americans look for their vehicles to perform the same kind of functional tasks as everyone does."