AuctionNet wholesale auction sales in 2025 continued to recover from the pandemic-induced lows of several years ago, with sales up more than 4% year over year to just over 7 million units. 

Last year’s total sales figure was the highest recorded since 2019, when sales reached 8.2 million units, and was more than 1.2 million units above the 5.8 million units figured notched in 2022, when the automotive industry was dealing with the fallout from new vehicle production shortages.

Off-Rental Activity Drove Commercial Sales 

Commercial sales powered last year’s growth in auction volume, with sales up more than 10% on a prior-year basis. The rise in commercial volume was driven by increased off-rental activity on vehicles up to 2 years old, as well as higher repossession volume on older vehicles. 

Regarding the former, rental car companies aggressively remarketed many 2023- and 2024-model-year units last year to make way for more financially viable (i.e., slower-depreciating) 2025 models, which in turn pushed the number of 1- to 2-year-old commercial vehicles sold at auction up by more than 30% year over year.

As for the latter, commercial seller auction activity for 7-plus-year-old vehicles was elevated because consumers, stretched by persistently high inflation (among other factors), increasingly defaulted on their auto loan obligations booked several years ago when used-vehicle prices peaked. Commercial sales of 7-plus-year-old vehicles were up 18% in 2025 compared to 2024. 

Dealer Auction Sales Follow Commercial Pattern

While growth was modest, dealer auction sales also moved higher in 2025, rising 3% year-over-year. Similar to commercial sales, dealer growth was more pronounced for late-model and older vehicles, while sales of 3- to 5-year-old vehicles fell by an average of 10% compared with 2024. 

The drop in 3-year-old vehicle sales was due to the decline in new vehicle sales and lease originations from 2022 when new deliveries fell from 14.9 million units in 2021 to 13.8 million in 2022. 

However, the 2023 recovery in new sales when deliveries exceeded 15.5 million units means more used off-lease/late model inventory will be available in 2026. That said, a massive influx of these units at auction should not be expected as dealers will gladly acquire as many clean, low-mileage units as possible to help satisfy consumer substitute demand relative to their far more expensive new vehicle counterparts.

Acute Spike In EV Auction Sales 

Mirroring the hockey-stick rise in new deliveries recorded several years ago, electric vehicle auction sales grew sharply in 2025, up more than 46% from 2024. 

Holding a 49% share of EV auction sales, Tesla models again accounted for the lion’s share last year, although competitive brands carved out a larger presence across lanes (as should be expected going forward). 

Given the large increase in new EV sales and leases in 2023, AuctionNet expects to see far more electric vehicles enter the used market in 2026, at an estimated 250,000+ vehicles.  

Finally, wholesale auction prices were relatively strong throughout 2025, finishing the year 3.5% higher than in December 2024. 

For added context, annual depreciation checked in at just 12.6%, which was better than both 2019’s pre-pandemic average of 13.8% and 2024’s 13.6% figure. 

Given that new vehicle transaction prices will be near to, if not exceed, all-time highs and that used vehicle inventory will remain tight, expect to see another year of relative strength for wholesale prices overall in 2026.

Monthly AuctionNet data is derived from 265 National Auto Auction Association member auctions that use AuctionNet, and is considered the most comprehensive source of wholesale auto auction sales data in the U.S.