Consumer prices for vehicle maintenance and repair rose 5.2% in the 12 months ending in August, while the federal price index for auto insurance fell 5.1% over the same stretch, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) August Consumer Price Index.
The motor vehicle maintenance and repair index, which BLS does not seasonally adjust, climbed 1.1% from July. That matched its June gain and followed a 0.6% increase in July, BLS data show. Its 12-month increase outpaced the 3.4% rise in overall consumer prices and the 2.4% rise in core prices, which exclude food and energy.
Within that index, the motor vehicle maintenance and servicing component rose 7.9% over the year, while the motor vehicle repair component rose 2.6%, according to BLS. BLS lists a separate category for motor vehicle body work but did not publish figures for it in the August release.
Insurance index extends its decline
The motor vehicle insurance index dropped 0.8% in August, following a 0.3% decline in July. BLS figures also show seasonally adjusted drops of 2.0% in June and 1.7% in May, making August the fourth consecutive monthly decline. The 5.1% annual drop is the index's largest 12-month decline since November 2020. The August drop continues the pattern shown in July's CPI report.
Over the past 12 months, the CPI for used cars and trucks fell 2.3%, and the index for new vehicles rose 0.6%, according to BLS.
At Cox Automotive's Mid-Year Review on June 24, chief economist Jeremy Robb said maintenance and repair costs drove much of the transportation services category's share of inflation over the past five years, citing the added time and technician skill that repairs require.
Wholesale used-vehicle values dip below last year
The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index stood at 206.2 at midmonth, a 1% decline from August, Cox Automotive reported. After Cox's adjustments for vehicle mix, mileage, and seasonal patterns, that puts the index 0.4% below September 2025.
Cox senior director Jonathan Gregory said the drop was "enough to tip the year-over-year comparison negative for the first time in 2026." Of the major segments Cox tracks, only compact cars and EVs held values higher than a year earlier at midmonth, while midsize cars, pickups, and SUVs were down year over year, according to Cox. Wholesale supply reached 27.8 days as of Sept. 15, about 2.4 days higher than a year earlier.
The midmonth number precedes Cox's official monthly index, which it releases five business days into the following month.
The full September Manheim index is scheduled for Oct. 7. BLS will release September CPI data, including its next reading on vehicle maintenance and repair prices, on Oct. 14, the same day Progressive plans to report its September results.
