The average cost for a new vehicle in the U.S. hits a record high: over $51,000
Willa Rubin's NPR article reports that Kelley Blue Book puts the average U.S. new-vehicle transaction price at a record high of $51,109, up 2.1% from a year earlier. It traces stubbornly high prices to tariffs, pandemic-era supply chain shortages, and Americans' taste for bigger, feature-laden vehicles, and says buyers are coping with smaller down payments and longer loans averaging $44,664.
