Consumer prices for motor vehicle maintenance and repair rose 5.8% over the 12 months ending in September, according to detailed Consumer Price Index data the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Oct. 14. That was up from 5.2% in August.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the index rose 0.7% from August to September, after a 1.1% gain the previous month. The all-items index rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% over the year, according to the September CPI release. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% for the month and 2.6% over the year.
Repair component’s annual pace picks up
Within the category, the motor vehicle repair index rose 3.5% over the year, up from 2.6% in August. Seasonally adjusted, it rose 0.6% from August, after a 1.4% gain the previous month.
Maintenance and servicing rose 7.8% over the year, compared with 7.9% in August, and rose 0.6% for the month.
Motor vehicle body work rose 6.0% over the year. BLS did not publish a monthly change for body work, and the August release did not include a body work figure.
Parts and labor
The motor vehicle parts and equipment index rose 0.4% in September, seasonally adjusted, and 0.8% over the year. Tires rose 0.4% for the month and 0.2% over the year. Vehicle accessories other than tires rose 4.2% over the year.
Shop-posted labor rates have also climbed. Collision shops’ posted body labor rates were $85.48 an hour in August, 6.8% higher than a year earlier, according to National Autobody Research’s LaborRateHero data. Over the same period, refinish rates rose 5.6% to $84.56, and mechanical rates rose 13.2% to $161.75.
Insurance index ticks up
The motor vehicle insurance index rose 0.1% in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, after declines of 0.8% in August, 0.3% in July, and 2.0% in June. Before seasonal adjustment, the index fell 0.3% for the month. It was 5.0% lower than a year earlier, compared with a 5.1% 12-month decline in August.
The CPI insurance index and what drivers pay for coverage are moving differently. The national average annual cost of full-coverage auto insurance reached $2,237 in the first half of 2026, up 1% since the end of 2025, according to Insurify’s 2026 mid-year report. Insurify projects increases in 32 states by year-end, with Connecticut up 15%. Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, and Nevada are each projected to rise 6% or more. The two measures use different methods and are not directly comparable.
Insurers point to repair costs as a driver. The severity of paid vehicle damage claims, which combine property damage liability and collision coverage, rose 42.3% from 2020 through the four quarters ending in the third quarter of 2025, according to a September white paper from the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. Claim frequency for the same coverages rose 1.4% over that period.
Vehicle prices and rental
The used cars and trucks index rose 0.7% in September, seasonally adjusted, but was down 1.5% over the year. New vehicle prices rose 0.2% for the month and 0.6% over the year.
Wholesale prices moved the other way in September. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index fell to 205.9, down 1.1% from August and 0.6% from a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive. Cox now forecasts the index will finish 2026 up about 0.2% year over year, down from the 2% gain it forecast in July.
“We are in the weakest season for wholesale valuations, and as September closed, depreciation was steeper than we typically see this time of year,” said Jeremy Robb, chief economist at Cox Automotive.
Car and truck rental prices rose 5.4% in September, seasonally adjusted, and 9.1% over the year.
BLS will release October CPI data on Nov. 10.
