Used-vehicle listing prices reached $26,918 in May, their highest point since mid-2023, according to Cox Automotive's analysis of vAuto Live Market View data. The average price rose 6% year over year and 2.2% from April, marking the third consecutive month of above-normal gains.
For collision repair shops, used-vehicle values factor into total loss determinations, according to prior industry data coverage. Higher actual cash values raise the threshold at which a vehicle is written off rather than repaired.
What's driving the price increase
Cox attributed the increase primarily to a shift in what sold. Inventory and sales of vehicles priced under $20,000 declined while higher-priced units sold more, with near-new SUVs posting the largest gains. Listing prices rose across every segment, age group and price tier.
The retail gains reflect strong wholesale values from earlier in the spring, with auction prices running well above year-ago levels and holding through to retail, according to Cox.
How the May data fits the larger trend
The May data continues a trend that began at the wholesale level. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index rose 6.2% year over year in March. Retail prices then confirmed the move in April, climbing approximately $1,500 in a single month to roughly $25,500, according to CARFAX.
Total loss frequency reached a record 23.1% of all claims in 2025, according to CCC Intelligent Solutions' Crash Course 2026 report. Repairable claims fell 9.7% that year, and the share of repairable claims for vehicles six years old or newer dropped to 58.3%, down from 67% in 2020.
Inventory and sales pace
Price pressure is concentrated at the lower end of the used-vehicle market. Vehicles priced under $15,000 carried just 33 days' supply in May, 12 days below the overall market average of 45, according to Cox. Total used-vehicle inventory stood at 2.12 million units, down 0.6% from a year earlier though up 4% from April.
The retail used-vehicle sales pace slowed in May. Cox estimated total retail volume at 1.45 million units, down 3.9% year over year and 2% from April, citing growing economic pressures and rising vehicle prices as factors that likely weighed on demand.
New-vehicle sales moved in the opposite direction. Kelley Blue Book estimated new-vehicle sales rose more than 7% year over year in May, a divergence Cox noted between the two markets.
For shops tracking how used-vehicle pricing affects total loss outcomes, used-vehicle values were identified as a key variable for 2026 in an earlier analysis of industry data, with rising values noted as a factor that could ease total loss frequency while flat values would produce more write-offs.
