Average new-car price hits $50,562 in September, $52 shy of the record
Kelley Blue Book says the typical new vehicle cost slightly more last month, but the gain from a year ago was small.
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The average price paid for a new vehicle in the U.S. was $50,562 in September, according to Kelley Blue Book. That is up 0.9% from August and 0.7% from a year earlier.
It was the fourth monthly increase in a row. The all-time high is $50,614, set in December 2025, so September came in $52 below it.
Cox Automotive, which owns Kelley Blue Book, says the year-over-year rise was small for a September. It said the usual gain for the month is 2% to 4%. Analyst Erin Keating pointed to vehicle mix as the reason the average stayed modest.
Where prices moved
Ford's average was $59,963, up 3.6% from a year ago. Toyota's was $44,539, up 4.9%. Honda's was $38,224, down 0.3%.
Among big segments, full-size pickups averaged $67,573 and compact SUVs averaged $37,614. Kelley Blue Book's price figures do not subtract incentives. Those averaged $3,359 per vehicle, or 6.6% of the price.