Used vehicle prices ease from fear-buying highs

DETROIT — Used vehicle prices last month eased from their recent high in April as consumers who may have needed a vehicle but feared price hikes due to tariffs flocked to purchase a car or truck, according to a closely watched barometer of preowned prices.

Cox Automotive’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index — which tracks prices of used vehicles sold at its U.S. wholesale auctions — decreased 1.5% from April to May, but remained 4% higher than a year earlier. April’s level was the highest since October 2023.

“Wholesale appreciation trends were remarkably strong in April, but the market gave some of that strength back in May, though values remain well above last year’s levels,” said Jeremy Robb, senior director of economic and industry insights at Cox Automotive.

Retail prices for consumers traditionally follow changes in wholesale prices, but they have not fallen as quickly as wholesale prices in recent years.

While President Donald Trump‘s tariffs of 25% on new imported vehicles and many parts do not directly impact used car sales, changes in new vehicle prices, production and demand affect the used car market, which is how the majority of Americans purchase a vehicle.

Demand has stayed relatively strong as inventory levels for used vehicles – 2.2 million – remain low compared with historical levels. That comes as consumers have been holding on to their vehicles for longer and as the industry deals with less production in recent years amid the coronavirus pandemic and global supply chain shortages.

Cox reports retail used vehicle sales in May were down 3% compared with April but higher year over year by 4%.

Cox previously said it was seeing used vehicle prices continue to stabilize after swinging wildly for several years before starting to calm down in 2024.