Used-vehicle inventory grew and the retail sales pace slowed in June, according to a Cox Automotive analysis of dealer inventory data published July 17. The data offers a fuller picture of a used-vehicle market collision repair shops watch closely, since used-vehicle values factor into total loss thresholds.
Franchised and independent dealers held a combined 2.14 million used vehicles in inventory in June, up 1% from May and essentially flat year over year at 0.2% higher, according to the report, which is based on vAuto Live Market View data. Days' supply, a measure of how long current inventory would last at the recent sales pace, rose to 47 days in June, up two days from a revised May figure of 45 and up one day from a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive.
The retail sales pace softened alongside the inventory increase. Cox Automotive reported used-vehicle retail sales down 1.6% year over year in June and down 1.9% from May, a decline the report attributes in part to seasonal patterns typical at the start of summer as well as higher vehicle prices and broader economic pressures, Cox Automotive found.
Listing prices cross $27,000 threshold
Average used-vehicle listing prices reached $27,027 in June, up 6% year over year but nearly flat from a revised May figure of $26,928, a 0.4% increase, according to the report. The figure marked the first time average listing prices moved above $27,000 since the summer of 2023, following three consecutive months of price gains, Cox Automotive said.
The report noted that prices rose across nearly every vehicle age group, which it linked to a run-up in wholesale values recorded earlier in the year and a larger share of younger vehicles in the sales mix. The wholesale side of the market showed a similar deceleration: the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, which tracks wholesale prices that factor into shops' total loss thresholds, rose 2.1% year over year in June, a slower pace than earlier in 2026.
Affordability pressure remained concentrated at the lower end of the market. Vehicles priced below $15,000 carried just 33 days' supply in June, well under the overall market average of 47 days, Cox Automotive reported. That gap has widened since May, when the same Cox Automotive data series showed sub-$15,000 vehicles carrying 33 days' supply against a 45-day overall average.
Certified pre-owned sales dip from May
Certified pre-owned sales rose 5% year over year in June but fell 7.8% from May, with Cox Automotive estimating June CPO sales at 210,335, down from 228,148 in May. CPO's share of total used-vehicle retail sales slipped to 15.3% in June from 15.7% in May, and year-to-date CPO sales are running about 2.1% below the same period last year, Cox Automotive said.
Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan remained the top-selling used-vehicle brands in June, together accounting for nearly half of all retail used-vehicle sales, according to the report. The report also credited improving credit availability with helping support consumer demand, noting that credit access reached its highest level since December 2015 in June.
The June figures build on Cox Automotive data covered in May, when average used-vehicle listing prices stood at $26,918, the highest level since mid-2023 at that time, and total used-vehicle inventory was 2.12 million units.
