
Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
Less than a twelvemonth ago, we reported that new cars nether $20,000 had gone extinct. According to a study by iSeeCars that analyzed complete 2.6 cardinal three-year-old utilized cars, nan few remaining utilized alternatives look to beryllium good connected their measurement to joining them. While astir half of each three-year-old cars costs little than $20,000 successful 2019, only 11.5% stay astatine that value constituent today.
Several celebrated utilized models priced nether $20,000 successful 2019 person now crossed that threshold. These see nan Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Nissan Rogue, Chevy Equinox, Kia Sportage, and Honda HR-V. Of nan 20 astir celebrated utilized models, nan Chevy Trax, Toyota Corolla, and Nissan Sentra are nan only ones that wholly stay nether $20,000. Even that mightiness not past long, arsenic utilized Sentras accrued from an mean value of $12,504 successful 2019 to $18,224 successful 2025. Its 45.7% alteration was nan astir of immoderate of these models, and could sprout supra $20,000 soon if marketplace trends continue. Even nan Corolla hardly still qualifies, pinch an mean value of $19,792 for a three-year-old exemplary successful 2025. This forces buyers pinch debased budgets to look for even older cars than before. It's a bully point getting a car to last 200,000 miles aliases more is easier than ever these days.
Passenger cars are king

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
Although SUVs and trucks are much popular than rider cars, it is rider cars that person seen nan astir important value summation since 2019. Back then, 70.7% of three-year-old cars costs little than $20,000. Today, conscionable 28.1% autumn into this bottom-tier value range. The mean value of a three-year-old car accrued from $19,734 successful 2019 to $29,343 successful 2025, an summation of 48.7% successful conscionable six years. In contrast, nan value of nan mean utilized motortruck roseate 28.8% successful nan aforesaid clip period, while utilized SUV prices went up 15.4%.
Perhaps rider cars are appreciating overmuch much quickly than trucks and SUVs simply because location are acold less cars than location utilized to be. Ford killed its cars a while back, isolated from nan Mustang, of course. Chevy stopped building its past sedan, nan Malibu, successful November 2024. The Nissan Altima and Versa are connected their measurement out, and nan manual Versa, formerly nan slightest costly car successful nan U.S., has already been discontinued. Short proviso intends greater request for those fewer that are left, which drives prices up. We for illustration sedans, but they look to beryllium going nan measurement of nan dodo, along pinch nan sub-$20,000 conveyance successful general.