These Four Automakers Are Selling Cars For Less

Tariffs haven’t solely caused automotive inflation. The supply-chain shocks during the COVID epidemic kicked off a cost-hiking frenzy that hasn’t abated. In March 2020, according to data from Cox Automotive, the average new car cost $37,736. Today, five years later, it’s $50,080. That’s a 33-percent increase in five years, which is way ahead of the cumulative rate of inflation in that same period—a painfully high 25 percent.

Today, the “average” new full-sized pickup will run you $66,206. Five years ago, that was an already pricey $50,075.

But according to Cox and Kelley Blue Book data, there are some brands that have been forced to jack prices more than others, so if you’re shopping for a new car, we’ll tell you which brands might be offering better bargains, and which…not so much.

The Pain Of New Car Prices

By category, the cars that have gone up the most as a percentage will surprise you. The average price of a full-size car has shot up from $44,006 last September to $59,710. That’s 35 percent in a single year. But remember: the industry doesn’t sell a lot of this category anymore. That’s a Mercedes-Benz E Class or an S Class. A Toyota Crown counts, but there aren’t a lot of non-luxury sedans left, which is one reason why costs have exploded.

The other? Surely, tariffs. The full-sized sedan segment that remains is dominated by imports, so if you want a big Genesis sedan, or an Audi A6 or a BMW 5 Series, that’s going to be made overseas, not within our borders. The upshot: The death of the sedan that was already underway will be expedited by tariffs.

Some Sunlight

Crossovers and SUVs dominate the American marketplace. That means more choice and more competition, and this is where most carmakers are trying like hell to keep prices from soaring.

Price Increases By Car Category

Of course, some of these “average” prices are astonishingly high. Cox said in a statement that luxury sales are very much propping up the car industry—and the economy on the whole, and there are now over 60 models with the average transaction price over $75,000. “Today’s auto market is being driven by wealthier households who have access to capital, good loan rates and are propping up the higher end of the market,” Cox Automotive Executive Analyst Erin Keating, told us.

But note the cracks of sunlight. Mid-size cars, like a Toyota Camry or Accord, are not insanely expensive. And mid-sized crossovers, while more expensive, are actually going up more slowly than overall inflation. Plus, the spread between a luxury compact crossover (up only .9 percent) vs. a mid-size crossover isn’t a huge price jump.

The Volkswagen GTI Is In Danger Of Ghosting The U.S.

A few carmakers are really in a bind. Already, through the first three quarters of the year, the average Volkswagen has sold for $40,587. That’s high when 12 months ago that number was $35,305. A 15 percent jump in a single year isn’t good when rivals like Ford have held their uptick to under 3 percent. This is clearly hurting Volkswagen sales, down 6 percent so far this year, and that might be directly correlated to increasing stickers. The base 2026 Jetta now costs $25,270, up 4.3 percent from 2025; the Taos also inched up in pricing by 3.9 percent.

But the biggest hazard to Veedub fans is that the GTI is in real danger of evaporating from the U.S. market. A base GTI now costs $35,865 (before destination), jumping $2,195 from last year. Sales are off 43 percent so far this year, with a paltry 5,700 cars sold. Sales of sports car are soft in 2025. But just eyeball the chart below to see the difference in pain between these carmakers—and how escalating prices are hurting VW more than peers.

$30-$40,000 Sports Car Sales

*prices include destination charge

Brands Holding The Line On Price

Manufacturers have made a lot of changes in response to tariffs and inflation. For instance, they’re trying to alter their parts mix so they’re more domestically sourced. But they’ve also made tough calls, like cutting cheaper cars from their lineups because tariffs have made them impossible to sell for a profit. Doing so warps some of what you see in this chart, below, however. A carmaker that’s selling fewer affordable models—or, conversely, has cut some pricier ones—will on average look like they’re beating tariffs or getting slaughtered by them. This chart doesn’t include every carmaker, but rather a few extremes of the spectrum. Note that Honda, Toyota, Subaru and Ford are all holding the line on prices. There’s no telling if that keeps up, but this is the picture from nine months of 2025.

Price Changes from 2024 to 2025 By Select Brands

The Future

The above chart looks back in time. It’s a snapshot of prices in 2025.

Looking forward, Cox shows that all models will cost more. If you thought that the September average price of $50,080 was high, Cox says averaging 2026 prices now looks like $52,183. It’s an incomplete figure, because not all carmakers have announced 2026 prices. But especially because there’s a looming tariff escalation with China, from which automakers source a lot of high-tech parts, that 2026 average MSRP is bound to rise. Right now, the markup looks like at least 4.2 percent—which was already higher than inflation on other goods.

TopSpeed’s Take

Even as Trump’s tariffs came as a series of shocks, if there’s a silver lining for carmakers, they’re now building in resilience. Sadly, we’re all still going to pay for the combination of higher inflation, higher interest rates, and higher tariffs. Carmakers have eaten some of these costs; they simply will not absorb all of them.

You know this by the numbers: A car that five years ago sold for under $40,000, is now selling for $50,000. As Cox analysts have pointed out, an increasing percentage of car sales are cracking above $75,000.

Buy Used!

Here’s the pivot: Buy a certified, pre-owned anything. It’ll come with a warranty. If it’s two-to-three-years-old, it’ll cost about 40–50 percent less. And you can finance that far more affordably. And hey, at least it’s cheaper than the coffee at a Cars and Coffee. Because that sweet nectar has gone up 20 percent in a single year.