Key facts
- Overall used market (June 2026, iSeeCars): -1.3% year over year, about -$412, average ~$32,395. Prices were down in five of the first six months of 2026.
- Used EV segment (June 2026, iSeeCars): +7.4% year over year (+$2,308, average $33,305) — the third straight monthly gain (April +2.7%, May +5.2%, June +7.4%).
- Tesla models are top gainers: Model X +17.5% (+$9,066,
$60,950, #1 overall), Model 3 +13.5% ($28,520, #5), Model S +13.1% (~$52,787, #7), Model Y +12.0% (+$3,529, #9). - Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index: mid-July 2026 = 211.5 (-0.6% month over month, +2.0% year over year); June 2026 final = 212.9 (+0.1% MoM, +2.1% YoY). Market peaked in March 2026; wholesale now ~1% below spring highs but still above a year ago.
- Wholesale supply/demand (end of June 2026): days' supply 26.9; sales-conversion rate 57.5%.
- A widely circulated "Tesla -5.3%, used cars +3.7%" figure is from July 2025, not 2026. It has since reversed (see below).
- Study samples: current iSeeCars study analyzed over 1.8 million cars sold June 2025 vs June 2026, by executive analyst Karl Brauer.
Are used-car prices going up or down right now?
They are down year over year, though the picture depends on which slice you look at. iSeeCars' July 21, 2026 study found the average 1-to-5-year-old used car dropped 1.3% (about $412) to roughly $32,395 in June 2026 versus a year earlier, with prices lower in five of the first six months of 2026. Wholesale values tell a similar softening story: Manheim's mid-July reading of 211.5 was down 0.6% from June, about 1% below the March 2026 spring peak, while still 2.0% above year-ago levels.
That combination — an easing but not collapsing market — is why the "did I miss the low?" question does not have a clean yes-or-no answer. Prices are off their spring high, but they remain elevated compared with a year ago.
Is Tesla actually depreciating fast, or are Tesla values rising again?
Tesla resale values are rising again in 2026. In the current iSeeCars study, all four Tesla models rank among the models with the largest year-over-year price increases: Model X +17.5%, Model 3 +13.5%, Model S +13.1%, and Model Y +12.0%. Five EVs sit among the 20 largest gainers, and no EV appears among the 20 largest drops.
This is a reversal from a year earlier. In the iSeeCars July 2025 study (about 1.5 million cars, July 2024 vs July 2025), Tesla was the biggest-losing brand at -5.3%, and the Model S, Y and X held the three largest model-level price drops. If you have seen the headline "used cars up 3.7%, Tesla down 5.3%," that is the July 2025 data — it is roughly a year old and the trend has since inverted.
How do used EVs compare with gas cars in 2026?
Used EVs are outperforming the broader used market by a wide margin. iSeeCars reported used EV prices up 7.4% year over year in June 2026 (about +$2,308, average $33,305), the third straight monthly acceleration after +2.7% in April and +5.2% in May. Over the same period the overall used-car market fell 1.3%. The result is a divergence of nearly nine percentage points between the EV segment and the market as a whole, with Tesla leading the rebound.
The July 2026 numbers, side by side
| Segment / model | YoY change | $ change | Avg price | Overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model X | +17.5% | +$9,066 | $60,950 | #1 |
| Tesla Model 3 | +13.5% | +$3,388 | $28,520 | #5 |
| Tesla Model S | +13.1% | +$6,116 | $52,787 | #7 |
| Tesla Model Y | +12.0% | +$3,529 | ~$32,900 | #9 |
| Used EV segment | +7.4% | +$2,308 | $33,305 | — |
| Overall used market | -1.3% | -$412 | ~$32,395 | — |
Source: iSeeCars used-car-prices study, published July 21, 2026; over 1.8 million 1-to-5-year-old cars sold June 2025 vs June 2026.
For historical reference: the July 2025 brand split (now reversed)
| Direction | Brand | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Biggest loser | Tesla | -5.3% |
| Chevrolet | -2.8% | |
| Chrysler | -2.7% | |
| Biggest gainer | Infiniti | +11.7% |
| Land Rover | next largest gainer |
Source: iSeeCars July 2025 study (~1.5 million cars, July 2024 vs July 2025); overall market that month was +3.7% (+$1,146), the fifth straight monthly gain. Presented here as a one-year-ago benchmark, not current conditions. In the current study, Infiniti's gains show up at the model level (QX80 +11.1%); keep brand and model figures distinct.
Does wholesale (auction) price movement predict retail prices?
Cox Automotive describes the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index as a leading indicator, with retail used prices lagging wholesale movements directionally. Cox does not publish a fixed lead time; a commonly cited four-to-eight-week span is an industry rule of thumb, not a number attributable to a specific Cox release. Treat it as a direction, not a countdown.
On that basis, mid-July's dip to 211.5 (down 0.6% month over month, about 1% below the March peak) is the kind of wholesale softening that can foreshadow flatter retail prices. Cox chief economist Jeremy Robb noted that used retail sales stayed roughly flat against stronger year-ago levels while summer wholesale values eased — directionally consistent with iSeeCars' softer overall-market reading.
By the numbers
- -1.3% — overall used-car price change, June 2026 vs June 2025 (iSeeCars).
- +7.4% — used EV price change over the same period (iSeeCars).
- +12.0% to +17.5% — year-over-year gains across Tesla's four models.
- 211.5 — Manheim mid-July 2026 index (-0.6% MoM, +2.0% YoY); June final 212.9.
- ~$32,395 — average 1-to-5-year-old used-car price, June 2026.
- 26.9 / 57.5% — wholesale days' supply and sales-conversion rate, end of June 2026.
Based on the iSeeCars used-car-prices study (N > 1.8 million, published July 21, 2026) and Cox Automotive's Manheim mid-July and June 2026 releases, retrieved 2026-07-22. The -5.3%/+3.7%/+11.7% brand split is from the archived iSeeCars July 2025 study (N ~ 1.5 million).
How to check a used car's price history before you buy
Macro indexes tell you the weather; they do not tell you whether the specific car in front of you is priced fairly. To check one vehicle, start with its VIN and pull its actual listing record. A VIN-based vehicle-history report can show a car's past and current listings, the prices it was listed at, its mileage at each listing, its days-on-market, and whether it has been pulled and re-listed. That lets you see, for one car, whether it has been sitting, repeatedly relisted, or is currently listed above its own documented history — the concrete counterpart to the iSeeCars and Manheim headlines.
For recalls specifically, check NHTSA's free VIN look-up first, because it is the authoritative source for whether a recall remedy is open or completed. Alongside it, a Zilocar VIN check adds the listing-history, mileage, days-on-market, ownership, accident/damage, salvage- and junk-auction, odometer, and theft records, plus a market valuation — the buyer-level detail the national indexes do not provide per car.
What a VIN check can and can't tell you here
A VIN check documents a single car's real, recorded history. It cannot predict the market, and it cannot substitute for NHTSA or a dealer on recall remedy status.
| A VIN check CAN show | It CANNOT do |
|---|---|
| Past and current listings, listed prices, mileage at listing, days-on-market, re-listing activity | Forecast future prices or predict the market direction in this story |
| Ownership history and a market valuation | Prove a car is objectively "under" or "over" market beyond its own documented listing/valuation history |
| Recall presence and count (like NHTSA's free tool) | Confirm a recall was remedied, flashed, or that firmware is current |
| Accident/damage records (location, type, severity, airbag-deployment status) | Track NHTSA investigations (PE/EA) |
| Salvage/junk auction records, odometer/rollback check, theft (NICB) | Show the legal title-brand classification, or reproduce the iSeeCars or Manheim indices |
| Specs/options and NHTSA + IIHS safety ratings | — |
