Vehicles
New and used car prices, plus the rising costs of insurance and maintenance. The average new car has gone from a modest purchase to a major financial commitment, and the data paints a clear picture of how automakers and consumers have adapted.
New Car Prices
The average transaction price of a new light vehicle (cars and light trucks combined) sold in the United States, tracked from 1950 to 2025. A new car used to cost about the same as a year of college tuition. Today it rivals a down payment on a house. This dataset captures the steady climb — and occasional leaps — in what Americans pay to drive off the lot, reflecting everything from safety mandates and emission standards to the SUV boom and pandemic-era chip shortages.
Used Car Prices
The average transaction price of a used car in the United States, tracked from 1970 to 2025. For decades, the used car market was predictable — prices crept up slowly, a few percent a year, nothing dramatic. Then the pandemic hit. Semiconductor shortages gutted new car production, and suddenly everyone who needed wheels was competing for the same shrinking pool of used vehicles. Prices nearly doubled between 2019 and 2022 in what became one of the most talked-about inflation stories of the era.
Auto Insurance Costs
The average annual auto insurance premium per insured vehicle in the United States, tracked from 1970 to 2025. Auto insurance was one of those costs that crept up so slowly most people barely noticed — until recently. After years of modest increases, premiums have surged since 2020, driven by skyrocketing repair bills, more expensive replacement parts, and a troubling rise in accident severity. What used to be a $600-a-year afterthought is now pushing past $1,500 and climbing fast.
Auto Loan Interest Rates
The average interest rate on a new car loan (48-month term) in the United States, tracked from 1972 to 2025. Borrowing money for a car has never been free, but the cost of that money has swung wildly over the decades. In the early 1980s, buyers were signing loans north of 16% — a number that sounds almost predatory today. Rates gradually fell through the 1990s and 2000s, bottoming out near 4% in the mid-2010s before climbing sharply again after the Federal Reserve began its aggressive tightening cycle in 2022.
Pickup Truck Prices
The average transaction price of a new full-size pickup truck in the United States, tracked from 1980 to 2025. Pickups used to be cheap, no-frills work vehicles — the kind of thing a tradesman or farmer bought because they needed a truck bed, not leather seats and a touchscreen. That changed dramatically over the past two decades as automakers discovered that loading trucks with luxury features and tech could push prices into territory once reserved for BMWs. Today's average full-size pickup sells for nearly $59,000, and the days of the affordable workhorse truck are pretty much gone.
Electric Vehicle Prices
The average transaction price of a new battery-electric vehicle in the United States, tracked from 2011 to 2025. Electric cars started out expensive, got a bit cheaper as the market matured, then suddenly got a lot more expensive when demand surged during the pandemic. The price spike peaked in 2022 when the average EV sold for over $65,000 — well out of reach for most households. Since then, a brutal price war led by Tesla and growing competition from legacy automakers has pulled the average back toward $48,500, making EVs more accessible than they have been in years.
Auto Repair Costs
The average cost per auto repair visit in the United States, tracked from 1980 to 2025. Getting your car fixed has always been one of those expenses that hits at the worst possible time, but at least it used to be somewhat predictable. A typical repair visit ran about $95 in 1980. By 2025, that number has ballooned to $655. Modern vehicles are packed with sensors, cameras, and computer modules that make them safer and more efficient but dramatically more expensive to fix when something goes wrong.