Buyers Migrate to ‘Mid’ Segments in June, Keeping New-Vehicle Prices in Check
New-vehicle transaction prices held steady below $50,000 in June as buyers continued to gravitate toward lower- and moderately priced vehicles, according to Kelley Blue Book (div. Cox Automotive).
Analysts say the average transaction price rose less than 1% year over year to end the month at $49,758.
“The strength of midsize SUVs, with sales up more than 16% year over year, shows that consumers are gravitating toward the center of the market where value, utility and affordability intersect,” writes Erin Keating, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, in a release. “In 2026, ‘mid’ is in.”
Subcompact SUV sales jumped more than 23% year over year — with an average transaction price of $31,113 — helping hold down the industrywide, sales-weighted average, while full-size pickup sales grew just 2.5%, below the industry average, according to the report.
KBB’s May report found that prices moderated and incentives ticked up even as the annual gain came in below the long-term average. In June, incentive spending held at 7% of ATP, consistent with the 13-month average, with EVs continuing to draw the heaviest discounts at 13% of ATP.
