{"id":44321,"date":"2026-04-08T01:26:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T01:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44321"},"modified":"2026-04-08T01:26:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T01:26:36","slug":"used-car-prices-hit-their-highest-level-in-nearly-3-years-as-wholesale-demand-stays-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44321","title":{"rendered":"Used car prices hit their highest level in nearly 3 years as wholesale demand stays strong"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>American consumers who are in the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/08\/08\/business\/used-tesla-prices-average-less-than-overall-secondhand-market-for-first-time-ever-as-sentiment-toward-car-maker-softens\/\">market for\u00a0used cars<\/a>\u00a0are facing the highest prices in nearly three years, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>Wholesale prices for used vehicles rose to their highest level since the summer of 2023 in March, with the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index rising 6.2% year over year to a reading of 215.3.<\/p>\n<p>Data from Manheim, a Cox Automotive brand and the largest wholesale marketplace in the US, found that demand for used vehicles remains strong.<\/p>\n<p>Values rose 1.4% in the month of March, which the report noted is well above long-term norms, and are up 2.3% from the start of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs soon as this year began, prices at Manheim started moving higher as dealers anticipated strong demand from higher\u00a0tax refunds\u00a0to consumers,\u201d said Jeremy Robb, chief economist at Cox Automotive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSales conversion rates, a clear sign of demand, were higher against 2025 for every week but one in Q1, and vehicle value trends at auction show we are well ahead of last year and where we would normally be during a spring bounce in the wholesale markets,\u201d Robb added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought we\u2019d see some impact from the\u00a0Middle East\u00a0conflict, and that may still happen. But right now, the data is clear: used-vehicle demand is healthy and inventory levels are relatively tight,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The Manheim report found that buyer activity was strengthening and there was increased competition for the available inventory in the wholesale lanes, as the sales conversion rate rose to 68.2% in March. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s 4.6 percentage points higher than the most recent three-year average for March and is up 5.5 percentage points from the revised-higher February rate of 62.7%.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39018846\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<figcaption>American consumers who are looking for used cars on the market will have to pay high prices that haven\u2019t been seen in nearly 3 years. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/01\/23\/business\/average-value-of-a-used-tesla-fell-over-1500-so-far-in-2024-report\/\">Used\u00a0electric vehicles<\/a> (EVs)\u00a0also showed strength in the first quarter with firm pricing and activity for the quarter as values rose alongside the seasonal increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It noted that used EVs offer\u00a0consumers affordability\u00a0advantages over new EVs, while there\u2019s also an increasing flow of off-lease EVs entering wholesale channels.<\/p>\n<p>Retail used vehicle sales\u00a0also showed momentum, with first quarter sales up about 2% compared with the same level a year ago. <\/p>\n<p>Inventory also tightened, with the days\u2019 supply metric declining below 40 in March, which was the lowest point this year and down from a year ago.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39018852\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img fetchpriority=\"high\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.50146628;display:block\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39018852\" width=\"886\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Aerial view of a Carmax dealership with numerous pre-owned cars parked, indicating rising used car prices.\" class=\"wp-image-39018852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 8184w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=84,56&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 84w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=60,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 60w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=105,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 105w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=81,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 81w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=200,133&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=322,214&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=664,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 664w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=1200,799&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/aerial-view-pre-owned-vehicles-125177140.jpg?resize=150,100&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\"\/><figcaption>Data from the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index shows a 6.2% year to year increase in used vehicles, making this year the most expensive to purchase used cars since the summer of 2023. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cox Automotive\u2019s outlook for 2026 sees used vehicles continuing a stronger-than-expected start to the year, before being offset by a softer second half of 2026 with total used vehicle sales declining 1% year over year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAs we move towards summer, we expect Manheim values to hold their ground with many more consumers yet to file their tax returns this year,\u201d Robb said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe end of March typically proves to be the \u2018peak\u2019 for price action at Manheim. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/iran-war-fuel-crisis-gives-electric-cars-long-term-boost-2026-03-24\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Middle East conflict<\/a> could dampen the spirits of the U.S. consumer, but we just haven\u2019t seen it yet \u2013 our data is showing resiliency in the economy,\u201d Robb said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/07\/business\/used-car-prices-hit-their-highest-level-in-nearly-3-years-as-wholesale-demand-stays-strong\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American consumers who are in the market for\u00a0used cars\u00a0are facing the highest prices in nearly three years, according to a new report. Wholesale prices for used&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}