The average price Americans paid for a new vehicle hit a record $51,109, according to a Kelley Blue Book report released Tuesday, NPR reported.
That is about $500 above the previous record, set in December 2025, according to the report from Kelley Blue Book, part of Cox Automotive.
Prices have stayed high since the pandemic because of supply chain issues and have climbed recently, in part because of tariffs and buyers shifting to larger, more feature-packed vehicles, NPR reported.
The increase is slowing, though. The record is up only 2.1% from a year earlier. “A 2.1% year-over-year increase is actually below inflation,” said Erin Keating, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive who co-authored the report. From 2012 to 2021, new cars got 3.4% more expensive per year on average, she said.
The transaction price reflects what buyers actually paid, including add-ons and minus incentives such as dealer discounts. It does not include interest on auto loans, which now run about 11% for used vehicles and more than 7% for new ones, according to Edmunds.
“We are seeing a true shift in the percentage of your monthly payment that’s going towards interest versus towards principal,” Keating said.
The average covers SUVs, pickups and electric vehicles across all brands but excludes used car sales, which typically make up about two-thirds of the market.
Sources: NPR. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Syced / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
