Used Pickup Sales Weakening
A rising supply of used pickups coupled with aggressive pricing for new models is expected to cause a weakening in values in the wholesale market, according to new data from Black Book.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A rising supply of used pickups coupled with aggressive pricing for new models is expected to cause a weakening in values in the wholesale market, according to new data from Black Book.
"Black Book has been tracking accelerating pickup truck depreciation, especially since incentives on leases began to grow last year," said Anil Goyal, Black Book's senior vice president of automotive valuation and analytics. "Furthermore, pickup truck retention rates will continue to decline in the coming years from the current strong performance they've enjoyed recently."
Full-size pickup trucks are now averaging 12.4% annual depreciation, a significant increase from the 13.1% average rate record one year ago. Depreciation of small pickups has also accelerated. It has reached an annual rate of 8.9%, an increase from 2.9% in the year-ago period.
While annual depreciation has increased, retained values have fluctuated. Annual depreciation is a percentage change in value of a two- to six-year-old vehicle over one year, while retention is the wholesale value after two years as a percentage of the vehicle's original MSRP. The change in the depreciation rate is typically higher than the retention rate because it's calculated on a lower amount.
The retention rate of full-size pickup trucks has climbed strongly in the past few years until this year, when it declined slightly by two percentage points. For the model-year 2010, the retention rate in October 2012 was 56%. In comparison, for the model-year 2014 full-size pickups, retention in October rose to 64%.
Pickups today continue to be among the vehicle segments with the best retention, but increased supply could weaken their position further in the future, according to the data provider.
More Auto Finance

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 →
First-Quarter Sees Long Auto Loan Growth
Experian data show more consumers are tapping the method, along with refinancings, to afford buying. Meanwhile, subprime borrowers are getting more access.
Read More →
Mastering Credit Friction
In this video, Josh Krach explains how to turn credit friction into an advantage.
Read More →