Used cars under $15K vanishing in the US — supply down 20% in a year

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As of July, supply for sub-$15,000 used cars was sitting at just 32.2 days.

As inventory has fallen, average used vehicle prices have increased.

Curiously, listing prices for vehicles 15 years and older have soared.

Shopping for a used car with up to $15,000 to spend? You better move quickly. Cars at that price have become scarce, and the ones that do reach dealer lots are selling far quicker than the average used vehicle in the States.

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Figures published at the end of July put total used-vehicle inventory across US dealerships at 2.15 million units, or 46 days’ supply. That’s up 0.8 percent year over year and 0.2 percent on June, but inventory remains below where it stood in July 2023 and July 2024, and it’s a long way short of the roughly 2.4 million cars sitting on dealer lots in July 2022.

Read: The Average Used Car Crossed $27,000 For The First Time Since 2023

Those shopping with a firm budget of $15,000 are facing limited options. In July, there was just 32.2 days’ supply of used cars priced below this mark. Interestingly, this isn’t because demand for these vehicles has shot through the roof, but rather because there’s simply limited availability of lower-priced options. As Cox Automotive reports, the supply of used cars priced below $15,000 is down 20 percent year over year and now accounts for 16.4 percent of all used-vehicle inventory. A year ago, it accounted for 20.6 percent.

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Average Prices Rise

Average used vehicle prices have climbed from a year ago, even if July went almost nowhere against June. For the second consecutive month, the average listing price sat above $27,000, landing at $27,028, up 6 percent year over year and just $12 above June’s revised $27,016. In June last year the figure was $25,450, and through March 2026 it held between $25,207 and $25,973.

Monthly Used Vehicle Data

Month Inventory

Volume Days’ Supply Sales Avg.

Listing Price

Jun-25 2,138,660 45.9 1,398,910 $25,450

Jul-25 2,131,032 44.7 1,476,304 $25,397

Aug-25 2,098,568 41.9 1,550,823 $25,439

Sep-25 2,138,093 48.3 1,327,249 $25,783

Oct-25 2,186,513 48.5 1,396,327 $25,875

Nov-25 2,160,407 49.3 1,314,047 $25,875

Dec-25 2,229,143 52.2 1,324,195 $25,973

Jan-26 2,183,361 49.4 1,370,161 $25,578

Feb-26 2,127,602 43.8 1,361,265 $25,207

Mar-26 1,951,269 37 1,634,246 $25,369

Apr-26 2,039,451 42.9 1,427,495 $26,330

May-26 2,121,725 45.4 1,449,337 $26,928

Jun-26 2,143,539 46.7 1,376,451 $27,027

SWIPE

Source: Cox Automotive

The price increases have been especially significant for older models. In fact, listing prices for vehicles 15 years and older rose 13.9 percent, compared with a 3 percent increase for vehicles under 5 years old.

Certified pre-owned volume bounced back in July, up 6.6 percent from June to an estimated 223,676 units from 209,800. However, set against July 2025, it barely moved. CPO accounted for 15.5 percent of total used retail sales, up from a revised 15.1 percent in June. Year to date, CPO sales are running roughly 1.8 percent behind where they were at this point in 2025.

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Used-Vehicle Inventory Volume

Used-Vehicle Retail Sales

Used-Vehicle Inventory Days’ Supply

Average Used-Vehicle Listing Price

Opening image via BaT

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