These used car brands saw the biggest drop in value since the pandemic's peak
Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, October 4, 2023
These used car brands saw the biggest drop in value since the pandemic’s peak
Following record-setting price hikes throughout 2021, the cost of a used car is falling—although sticker prices are still more expensive than at any point prior to the start of 2020.
CoPilot analyzed used car data from dealerships around the country to rank the used vehicle models that have come down in price the most from their inflationary peak in early 2022. Price data is current as of Sept. 12. Exotic luxury car brands such as Maserati and Lamborghini were not included in this analysis.
Used car prices exploded over the course of 2021 in large part because of the chip shortage that stalled new automobile production once factories reopened. As global automobile production plummeted by 26% in the first three quarters of 2021, consumers flocked to the used-vehicle market for better deals and more selection, quickly driving used car prices sky-high.
But what goes up must come down, with the UBS predicting that global car production this year will outpace sales of new cars by 6%. That oversupply inevitably drives prices down for new and used cars—although rising interest rates could still spell higher monthly payments for consumers.
The brands whose vehicles depreciated the most since their peak include electric vehicle makers such as Tesla and Polestar, which have tumbled more than $20,000 from the retail prices they commanded a year ago. Tesla, in particular, moved to cut prices at the start of this year amid slowing sales and fear of a potential drop-off in demand as the economy slows.
Dom DiFurio // Stacker
The one-two punch that has you paying more for used vehicles
That trend in which lower inventories were pushing up the price of new vehicles could be easing, as analysts at Cox Automotive report new vehicle inventory increased 68% in August compared to the same month last year.
In the used vehicle market, inventories remain down 9% over the previous year, according to Cox. Despite lower inventories, prices have cooled about 6% from this time last year on average among all used vehicles.
Read on to see the vehicle brands that have cooled off the most.
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
Honda
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$2,443
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
Subaru
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$2,645
jejim // Shutterstock
Lexus
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$2,696
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
Chrysler
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$3,044
Artistic Operations // Shutterstock
Cadillac
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$3,055
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
Lincoln
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$3,781
Darren Brode // Shutterstock
Audi
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$4,082
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
Infiniti
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$4,094
Artistic Operations // Shutterstock
Mercedes-Benz
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$5,308
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
Volvo
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$5,627
woodsnorthphoto // Shutterstock
Land Rover
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$7,013
BoJack // Shutterstock
Fisker
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$9,356
Luxury Fred Sherman // Shutterstock
Polestar
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$22,690
MilanoPE // Shutterstock
Karma
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$22,692
Aleksei Potov // Shutterstock
Tesla
Decrease from summer 2022 peak: -$28,566
Data reporting by Dom DiFurio. Story editing by Nicole Caldwell. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
This story originally appeared on CoPilot and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.