The shockwaves of the Covid-19 pandemic are nonetheless hitting the U.S. automotive market and pushing costs up, even for exceptionally previous vehicles.
The pandemic dealt a extreme blow to the full provide of latest vehicles, which has rippled right down to the used market.
About 8 million automobiles that will have been made for U.S. consumers throughout these years by no means have been, largely attributable to manufacturing shutdowns and provide shortages, stated Jeremy Robb, chief economist for Cox Automotive. Automakers confronted with curtailed manufacturing weighted their lineups towards money-making high-end automobiles, a technique they’ve largely continued.
These components have been pushing up costs for everybody — even clients shopping for decade-old used automobiles.
“I believe it is form of the brand new regular exterior of an enormous financial influence,” Robb stated. “Provide will not be getting quite a bit higher over the following three to 4 years.”
About 16.2 million vehicles have been bought in 2025, up from the pandemic-era low of 13.8 million in 2022, based on the U.S. Bureau of Financial Evaluation. Cox is forecasting about 15.8 million automobiles will likely be bought in 2026, whereas JD Energy is predicting 16.3 million.
That is a big drop from the file 17.55 million automobiles bought in 2016.
Volumes have been already dropping earlier than the pandemic set in. The auto market is traditionally cyclical, so gross sales go up and down.
However JD Energy Senior Vice President Tyson Jominy stated the U.S. auto business has bought roughly 16 million fewer automobiles than it might have if annual gross sales had held on the 2016 file of 17.5 million. That’s a couple of 12 months’s price of quantity gone — about half of it because the pandemic.
Fewer automobiles coming to the brand new market have constrained provide within the used one.
“A brand new car sale is the marble on the high of the mousetrap recreation,” Jominy stated. “And once you drop that marble, it will undergo all of the chutes and ladders all the way in which right down to the underside.”
Leasing and incentives
Used automobiles at a dealership in Falls Church, Virginia, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025.
Eric Lee | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
Along with tighter provide, automakers and sellers have additionally reduce on business practices like leasing and incentives as a result of provide was so brief.
“Leasing is actually costly for an OEM,” Robb stated, referring to the acronym that stands for unique gear producer, one other title for automakers.
Usually, funds are decrease for leases, there may be numerous upfront prices for the producer and when the automotive comes again it needs to be flipped into the used market, amongst different issues, he stated.
“The OEMs actually leaned into constructing extra worthwhile vehicles like trim ranges, vehicles, SUVs, issues like that,” Robb stated. “And people, they’re dearer. They have an inclination to not get leased as a lot.”
Off-lease automobiles are an enormous pipeline for the used market. Previous to the pandemic, leasing was roughly 30% of the brand new car market, Robb stated. In 2022, it hit a low of 18%.
As a result of most leases are for 3 years, it has taken that lengthy for the used market to really feel the wave.
Automakers additionally do not wish to need to low cost automobiles if they do not need to. Through the pandemic, they did not have to.
Incentives — basically reductions on new vehicles — averaged about 9.5% of auto costs throughout the brand new automotive market earlier than the pandemic, based on Cox Automotive. Through the pandemic, they fell to a fraction of that. They’ve climbed again up, averaging about 6.5% to 7% in 2026, Cox’s Robb stated. However that’s nonetheless low in contrast with prepandemic ranges, they usually aren’t represented evenly throughout the business.
All which means used automotive costs have stayed comparatively excessive.
In the meantime, shoppers are dealing with excessive gasoline costs, inflation and elevated bills throughout the board.
“Costs have gone up a couple of third and but salaries and revenue haven’t practically matched these will increase,” JD Energy’s Jominy stated. “There is a smaller group of consumers that may afford new automobiles. The typical new car family revenue is over $150,000 a 12 months versus about $80,000 for the U.S. financial system as an entire.”
Information from Cox Automotive exhibits that demand for even 9- and 10-year-old used automobiles is way greater than it has traditionally been. That signifies that extra shoppers are buying and selling down and in search of out ever-older and cheaper vehicles as costs rise.
“We do not usually see this type of pricing stress within the decrease finish of the market,” Robb stated.
