Used car prices soar as affordable options disappear
Used car prices have soared 41% since 2019. See why $15,000 cars are disappearing fast.
- The foreign automaker says it offers a number of affordable vehicle options under $35,000.
- Government officials have expressed concern that soaring new car prices are causing Americans to continue using older, less safe vehicles.
- Lawmakers pointed to supply chain issues such as chip shortages as a major factor in rising car prices.
As consumer affordability concerns continue to grow, foreign automakers are touting a number of domestically produced models that retail for less than $35,000.
During a Jan. 22 panel discussion at the 2026 Washington, D.C. Auto Show moderated by members of the USA TODAY Cars team, Jennifer Safabian, CEO of Autos Drive America, which works in Washington for internationally headquartered automakers, said her organization’s members “already offer a plethora of affordable options.”
“If you look at the cars sold in the U.S., 75 percent of the cars sold had a MSRP of $35,000 or less,” Safabian said. “And they come from international car manufacturers, which are my members. So they offer a wide range of choices at different price points to suit the needs of consumers, families. So affordability is always an issue and that’s what my members are always concerned about, so there’s a lot of different options out there.”
Safavian also pointed out that many of the models made by foreign automakers that cost less than $35,000 were also made domestically. To help drive to that point, Auto’s Drive America has placed signs on the approximately 50 cars on display indicating which state they were manufactured in, despite their international nameplates.
“We are investing here in the United States,” she said. “You know, my members, the international automakers, have been doing that for years. They’ve invested over $100 billion in the United States. They continue to do that, and they want to do that.”
What other auto industry insiders are saying about affordability
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a separate appearance at the Washington Auto Show that President Trump is also very concerned about rising vehicle costs.
“The president has been very thoughtful about how to control car prices,” Duffy said. “Those things have become very expensive during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Last year, the average price of a new car in the U.S. soared to record levels, nearly $50,000.
Mr. Duffy noted that as a result of rising new car prices, Americans are holding on to older cars more than ever before. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the average age of vehicles on U.S. roads in 2025 was 12.8 years. Duffy said drivers still behind the wheel of 10-year-old cars are missing out on important safety features that are now common in newer models.
“People are keeping their cars longer,” he says. “The problem is that over the last 10 years, fuel efficiency has improved dramatically and vehicles have become safer. So if you can put people in (new) cars, you’re going to get better fuel economy and you’re going to be safer.”
Duffy added: “If the unthinkable happens, like if you get into an accident or an accident, if you make it more affordable for your family to drive a newer car rather than a 12- or 14-year-old car, you’re more likely to survive. I think about that a lot, and the president thinks so too.”
What did lawmakers say about car affordability?
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said during a panel discussion at the DC Auto Show that there are a variety of factors contributing to the rise in sticker prices in U.S. showrooms.
“I think we need a trade policy that puts us on a level playing field,” Dingell said. “During COVID-19, we had parking lots full of cars because we weren’t producing chips in this country. We have to deal with the availability of chips…We could have done it piecemeal. It’s been very difficult for the supplier community as we’ve been looking at tariff policy…This is very complex for a 15-minute conversation.”
U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, an Ohio Republican and ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, agreed, saying, “There’s a lot of things we should be doing in this country that we’re not doing.
“I think, first of all, we need to make sure we have a good supply chain,” he said. “During COVID-19, we realized that our supply chain was stretched too far around the world. We had to put it back together.”
