agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Car Depreciation Accelerates in August, Black Book Reports

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The average price of a used vehicle for model years 2011-2015 depreciated 2.4% during August, noticeably more than July’s 1.5% decline, according to Black Book. The decline is also notably more than what was recorded the last three years during the month of August — even higher than August 2014’s 1.9% depreciation ... Read More »

September 14, 2016
2 min to read


LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The average price of a used vehicle for model years 2011-2015 depreciated 2.4% during August, noticeably more than July’s 1.5% decline, according to Black Book.

The decline is also notably more than what was recorded the last three years during the month of August — even higher than August 2014’s 1.9% depreciation rate. Cars overall recorded the highest depreciation, with prices falling 3.1% compared to 1.9% in July. Truck segment showed depreciation of 1.8% for the month, with all vehicles currently averaging a 12-month depreciation change of 16.2%.

Ad Loading...

Depreciation for near-luxury cars, including the Acura ILX, Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Cadillac ATS, and Lexus IS250, was the highest at 3.7%. Vehicles in this segment finished the month with an average price of $18,112, a 19.5% decline from year-ago levels ($22,501).

Full-size pickups, including the Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram, Ford F150, and GMC Sierra, recorded the highest retention, with prices depreciating only 0.6%. Vehicles in this segment finished the month with an average price of $24,372, a 10.2% decline from a year ago ($27,152).

Four other vehicle segments saw depreciation of 3% or greater in August. Those segments were the sub-compact car (3.5%); sporty cars (3.4%); luxury cars (3.3%); and compact cars (3.3%).

The top six segments with the weakest retention during August were all cars. And while prestige luxury cars recorded the strongest retention among all car segments, its 2.2% depreciation rate made it just the eighth best-performing segment overall for the month. In fact, just two car segments ranked in the Top 12 among retention for the month (premium sporty car depreciated 2.7%).

“As fall approaches, depreciation trends continue to accelerate as we head toward the last few months of the year,” said Anil Goyal, senior vice president of automotive valuation and analytics for Black book.  “We can expect to see lower retention in cars across all segments as the year continues, and we’ll continue to monitor truck levels to see if they also see weaker retention overall.”

More Industry

Group photo of men outside storefront.
Industryby Hannah MitchellMay 28, 2026

Pennsylvania Dealership Under New Retailers

The sale of the Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store puts a family auto group on a leaner path as first-time dealers take the helm.

Read More →
Hallway with lockered wiring and computer
Industryby Lauren LawrenceMay 28, 2026

Battery Storage Takes Priority Over EVs

U.S. automakers are prioritizing battery energy stationary storage over electric-vehicle production as the consumer demand for EVs lags the rest of the world.

Read More →
Gray-scale photo of a line of Mini cars in a dealership parking lot
Industryby Hannah MitchellMay 27, 2026

Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great

A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Closeup photo of the front of a white car
Industryby Hannah MitchellMay 21, 2026

New-Vehicle Sales Picture Relative

A May forecast is complicated by last spring’s trade tariff effects on auto retail. Despite continued hard realities, many consumers took advantage of ways to bite the bullet.

Read More →
Nissan logo on front of building
Industryby Lauren LawrenceMay 21, 2026

Auto Group Acquires Third Nissan Rooftop

Iowa-based Coleman Automotive Group recently acquired its seventh dealership, McGrath Nissan, which it renamed Nissan of Elgin.

Read More →
Couple talking with auto salesman next to new car inside dealership
Industryby Hannah MitchellMay 20, 2026

April Less Affordable

Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Wooden people figures of different colors in a row, similar to board game pieces
IndustryMay 20, 2026

Building an Extraordinary F&I Agency

Work to determine your specialized talent, because that fact will determine everything about your agency’s future.

Read More →
Ingredient card, policies and procedures, fixed operations, variable operations, data security, audit
Industryby Jim GantherMay 19, 2026

Recipe for Compliance

The secret to both amazing barbecue and compliance is the same: understanding the basics and committing to a process.

Read More →
Photo of new Chevrolet Bolt parked on a beach
Industryby Hannah MitchellMay 14, 2026

EVs Getting More Attractive

A growing percentage of U.S. consumers are open to switching and fewer are adverse to the idea, according to a recently completed survey. That’s despite the end of a tax break.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Benchmark bar graph showing April 2026 EV Sales
Industryby Lauren LawrenceMay 14, 2026

EV Sales Drop in April Following Surge

North American electric-vehicle sales were down 28% year-over-year, a sharp contrast from global EV sales growth of 6%.

Read More →