New Car Prices Increase 2% in April
The average transaction price of a new car in April was $35,411, a 2% increase year-over-year, according to a Kelley Blue Book report.

Photo by Eric Gandarilla.
Photo by Eric Gandarilla.
The average transaction price of a new car in April was $35,411, a 2% increase year-over-year, according to a Kelley Blue Book report.
Toyota, Volkswagen, and General Motors were among the three manufacturers to see the highest gains to their average transaction price. Respectively, the manufacturers experienced a 3.2%, 3.0%, and 2.9% increase in average transaction price.
Within Toyota, the redesigned Camry yielded the highest average price increase. The Atlas and Tiguan SUVs drove much of the rise within Volkswagen. For Ford, the Lincoln Navigator was a big price driver.
“Average transaction prices moved up another 2% in April, with most manufacturers reporting year-over-year increases,” said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “Although fuel prices rose for the second month in a row and are nearing a $3 national average. Kelley Blue Book saw greater price increases for SUV models than with cars.”
The Navigator wasn’t the only luxury vehicle to see an average transaction price increase in April. Luxury vehicles in general saw many models post higher transaction prices, according to KBB. One reason given for this was the fact that luxury buyers are typically less price-sensitive than mainstream brand buyers, and will pay for higher-priced vehicles.
Taking a look at how different vehicle segments performed in the month, nearly all of the 22 vehicle segments that KBB tracks experienced year-over-year gains to their average transaction price.
Compact cars, full-size cars, subcompact cars, high-end luxury cars, and vans all saw year-over-year declines in average transaction price. This is in contrast to the small car segments in the wholesale market, which in the past month have seen gains in average wholesale price.
Luxury car prices have also struggled in the wholesale market as well, however.
More Used Vehicle Values

Used Vehicle Prices Climb Higher As Sales Pace Slows
The higher prices at used retail reflect strong wholesale values earlier in the spring, particularly for older, more affordable vehicles.
Read More →
Wholesale Used Vehicle Market Sustains Moderate Rise In Values, Prices
Trends continue to normalize after a strong start to the year, as consumers contend with higher gas prices in the coming summer months.
Read More →
Used EV Sales Grow In April
While EV sales declined, used EV sales grew, as tighter inventory and rising prices reflected a more normalized pace for the EV market.
Read More →
Wholesale Used Vehicle Prices Slightly Up In April
The Iranian conflict and rising gas prices inject much uncertainty into the future wholesale used vehicle markets, as higher gas prices soak up spendable income from vehicle buyers.
Read More →
CAR 2026 Recap Part 2: Closing the Gap Between Data & Remarketing Value
The second half of CAR 2026 examined how fleets can translate lifecycle strategy, vehicle data, and market shifts into higher real-world results.
Read More →
CAR2026 in Two Words: Velocity, Value (Part 1)
The 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing convened with a mandate to involve a new constituency — fleet managers — and an updated mission to demonstrate unrealized value in de-fleeted vehicles.
Read More →
March Used Vehicle Inventory Falls To Lowest Since 2019
Franchised and independent dealers had a total of 1.95 million used vehicles in stock in March, the lowest on record in the current data set.
Read More →
Spring Bounce Pushes Q1 Used Vehicle Values Higher
Demand signals remain strong at auctions, with sales conversions, a clear sign of demand, reaching 68.2% in the most recent measure.
Read More →
CAR 2026: Get the Wall Street Update on the Key Players in Remarketing
From a Wall Street analyst's take on remarketing's key players to whether fleets need their own version of Carfax, CAR 2026's afternoon roundtables will answer key operational and industry questions.
Read More →
CAR 2026 Session to Uncover the Missing Data That's Costing Fleets at Disposal
Work trucks lose value at remarketing, not because they aren't worth more, but because the data to prove it rarely makes it to the auction.
Read More →