Kontos: January Wholesale Prices Rise 6.7% YOY
Wholesale used-vehicle prices in January averaged $10,945, a 6.7% increase from a year ago and a 2.8% rise from the prior month, according to ADESA Analytical Services.
CARMEL, Ind. — Wholesale used-vehicle prices in January averaged $10,945, a 6.7% increase from a year ago and a 2.8% rise from the perior month, according to ADESA Analytical Services.
In terms of average price, trucks outperformed cars on a year-over-year basis, whereas cars outperformed trucks on a month-over-month basis.
“Considering the increased supply of used vehicles wholesaled in January, used-vehicle prices held up surprisingly well, despite soft retail demand and high new-vehicle incentives,” said Tom Kontos, KAR Auction Services chief economist.
Looking at average wholesale prices on a year-over-year basis, average truck prices rose 7.4% to $12,990. Wholesale car prices rose 3.9% to $8,867. This healthy rise, ADESA noted, was driven by year-over-year increases in average wholesale prices for every vehicle segment.
The smallest price increase came from the compact car segment, which realized a 1.6% year-over-year rise in it average wholesale price. Prices for this segment grew to $6,639 in January of this year, compared to $6,531 in the prior-year period. Recording the largest year-over-year gain were minivans, which realized a 30.1% rise in average wholesale price. Average prices for minivans spiked from $7,141 in the year-ago period to $9,289.
On a month-over-month basis, car prices grew 3.4%, while truck prices rose 2.7%. The truck segment’s relative weakness on a month-over-month basis was partly attributed to the full-size SUV/CUV segment seeing a 4.6% price drop from December to January.
“All model classes showed month-over-month and year-over-year price gains except full-size SUV/CUVs, whose prices declined relative to December but were up year on year. The extreme year-over-year gain in minivan prices was driven by a change in mix favoring younger, pricier minivans, which exaggerated the increase,” noted Kontos.
This trend — year-over-year gains mixed with month-over-month declines — mirrored what manufacturer remarketing arms, according to Kontos. Average wholesale prices for used vehicles remarketed by manufacturers were up 1.4% year over year but down 3.4% on a month-over-month basis.
Average prices for dealer consignors were up 3.1% from a year ago and 2.5% from the prior month. Prices for fleet/lease consignors were up 5.1% year over year and 4.9% month over month. However, rental risk units showed year-over-year price declines, Kontos noted.
According to data from the National Automobile Dealers Association, both franchised and independent dealers experienced 4% and 8.1% increases in used-vehicle sales, respectively.. However, on a month-over-month basis, both channels sold 25% less used vehicles.
Certified pre-owned sales inched up 0.8% on a year-over-year basis. On a month-over-month basis, however, January CPO sales were down 17.1%, according to Autodata.
More Auto Finance

Subaru Enters Lending Business
The automaker follows other brands in adding captive financing in the U.S., and says the move will strengthen its position here.
Read More →
Positive Equity Reaches Record High
Mainstream vehicle owners who bought a car seven years ago are likely to have positive equity when trading in for a new vehicle, according to second-quarter Edmunds data.
Read More →
Dealerships Are Paying the Price for Extended Car Loans
Growing negative-equity scenarios mean such lengthy terms should be addressed in a forward-looking way to make them work for the dealer and the consumer down the road.
Read More →
Trade-Ins in Negative Equity Reach New Heights
As such trade-ins rise in frequency, so do monthly loan payment amounts and interest rates, according to second-quarter data compiled by Edmunds.
Read More →
Auto Credit Plentiful
June numbers show lenders are readily granting access, including to risky borrowers, as consumers leverage themselves to take on high prices.
Read More →
Automotive Consumers Sink Further in Debt
Most financing metrics hit records in the second quarter as more buyers locked themselves into long terms and high monthly payments.
Read More →
Porsche Financial Services Shifts Structure
After 36 years with Porsche, the Financial Services Chief Financial Officer Konrad Riedl is retiring, and the department is realigning its management structure.
Read More →
Tariffs Could Raise Insurance Premiums
As U.S. import tariffs affect repair costs, consumers might find it more affordable to replace a damaged vehicle, according to recent Insurify tariff analysis.
Read More →
Smaller Loans, Longer Terms
The youngest generation of car buyers is more likely to finance less expensive vehicles, more than half of generation Z consumers borrowing less than $25,000.
Read More →
New Cars a Tad More Affordable
May averages show that combined circumstances gave auto consumers slightly better buying power for the month, though average prices were up year-over-year.
Read More →