Black Book: Index Falls 1.2% to 113.1 in January
The firm had expected a steeper decline due to replacement activity linked to last year’s hurricanes. Instead, Black Book saw fairly typical depreciation.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Black Book’s Used Vehicle Retention Index fell only 1.2% year-over-year in January to a 113.1 reading for the month. The firm had expected a larger decline.
Anil Goyal, executive vice president of operations for Black Book, said the expectation was based on the lift in wholesale values due to replacement activity linked to last year’s hurricanes. Instead, Black Book saw fairly typical depreciation.
According to the firm, most vehicle segments experienced a 1% decline in wholesale values through the last 12 months. The biggest outliers were near luxury cars and luxury cars, which registered 1.8% and 1.6% depreciation, respectively.
Looking toward the next few months, Black Book is fairly optimistic about where wholesale values will be.
“We anticipate stability in the Index values over the next couple of months as the spring selling season gets underway and consumers shop with an appetite driven by the recent tax changes approved,” Goyal said.
More Auto Finance
Mastering Credit Friction
In this video, Josh Krach explains how to turn credit friction into an advantage.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Auto Lenders, Consumers on a Tightrope
April borrowing data shows that more consumers are bending over backward to buy vehicles, though subprime lending cooled off for the month.
Read More →
Toyota Financial Services President Replaced
Scott Cooke has served in various roles with Toyota Financial Services for over 20 years, including president and CEO, which he retires from on June 30.
Read More →
Permission or Approval: When to Notify Finance Sources
Credit card down payments, multiple vehicle purchases and even straw purchases can be completed without committing bank fraud, as long as you tell the bank first.
Read More →
At-Risk Auto Borrowers Drive Looser Credit Access
Cox Automotive’s index shows the subprime segment, long loan terms, negative-equity borrowers and down payment amounts all grew in February despite ever-higher vehicle prices.
Read More →
Auto Loan Forecast Bucks Market Trend
Auto loan originations rose over 6% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, but TransUnion predicts a slight decline in auto loan growth this year, making it an outlier in the company's overall lending forecast.
Read More →
Auto Credit More Plentiful
Growing access shows greater lender appetite for risk as consumers take on heavier debt burden in an inflated market.
Read More →
Auto Loans Long as Stretch Limos
More consumers, faced with ever-rising car prices, are adapting by agreeing to longer loan terms despite the cost of added interest payments.
Read More →
AutoPayPlus Launches RePayPlus
The reinsured biweekly payment program offers auto dealers with customer retention and reinsurance structure.
Read More →