A Ford Mustang at a used car dealership on May 5, 2025 in Montebello, California.
Frederick J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
DETROIT — Used car prices are expected to rise this year, but at a historically steady pace, according to auto data and insights provider Cox Automotive.
Cox predicted Thursday that wholesale prices in its Manheim Used Car Value Index will end this year 2% higher than in December 2025. The index tracks the prices of used cars sold at wholesale auctions in the United States.
This year’s increase matches the 0.4% rise in each of the past two years, after falling by nearly 7% and 15% in 2023 and 2022, respectively, due to soaring prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic. During this period, used car prices rose at a historically high rate of 46.6% in 2021 and 14.2% in 2020.
Overall price stability is advantageous for potential car buyers. But used car prices are still higher than they were before the pandemic. Retail prices for consumers traditionally follow changes in wholesale prices, but in recent years they have not fallen as rapidly as wholesale prices.
According to Cox data going back to 1998, the average index trend at the end of each year is an increase of about 2%. This does not include the outlier years 2021 and 2022.
Prices change monthly depending on sales season and other factors. Cox said the index’s typical month-over-month movement for the year is just 0.2%.
“There are some positive indicators emerging as we head into 2026, with new and used car loan rates dropping to their lowest levels in a year and consumers soon seeing increased tax refunds hit their wallets,” Jeremy Robb, interim chief economist at Cox Automotive, said in a statement. “As this situation progresses, we expect to see even greater demand in the automotive market as the year begins.”
According to Cox, used car sales in 2026 are expected to decline by 0.9% from the previous year to 38.3 million units. This forecast includes used car retail sales of 20.3 million units, down 0.7%.
