Used vehicle sales slowed 5% in October, with inventory building on dealers' lots, especially for trucks.
Driving the news: According to the data from AutoVision’s October Used Vehicle Inventory Analysis, the supply of the most-in-demand vehicles, those in the top 10 by sales volume, rose 43.4%.
This followed September, when top-selling inventory fell 10.8% from August.
Additionally, sales were down 5.5% in October vs. September.
"In September, used inventory was tight, and dealers were selling through what they had. October looked very different. Supply of the top vehicles we track jumped more than 40 percent, especially older vehicles, while sales slowed slightly. Dealers have a lot more to choose from than they did a month ago," Babak Mofrad, president of AutoVision, told CDG News.
Zooming in: One segment that has notably seen inventory build and also a growth in sales share in the past month was used pickup trucks.
Used pickup supply grew 5% from 54.5% to nearly 60% of inventory in September.
Similarly, used pickups rose 5% in sales, from 58.6% to slightly more than 63%.
To illustrate, the Ford F-150 was the top-selling vehicle in the 4-6-year-old, 7-11-year-old, and older-than-12-year-old categories and had the most vehicles added to inventory.
The 2023 Ford F-150 remained the top-selling used vehicle model overall with 6,297, roughly 600 less than in September.
Late model performers: Of vehicles 1-3-years-old, the 2025 Toyota Camry led sales with 4,184 and a 5% increase from the previous month.
The 2024 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was the top riser among late models, increasing by 13%, narrowly ahead of the 2025 Toyota RAV4.
The 2026 Toyota Corolla had the lowest days to sell at 31.37 days, with the 2023 Tesla Model Y coming in second at 31.94 days.
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Top vehicles gaining in price: The 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC saw the largest month-over-month price increase, spiking $6,632.
Just below the 2024 and 2025 BMW X5s and the 2026 Porsche Macan, the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox joined the top five with an increase of $3,518.
The 2021 to 2023 Toyota Tacomas jumped in price between $2,831 and $2,538 in the past month.
Ford leads brands: Ford sold the most used vehicles with 139,940, more than 12,000 more than second-place Chevrolet.
BMW led the premium brands with 49,804, and Bentley the ultra-premium with 996.
Tesla led all brands in average days to sell at 43.23, and Lexus was second at 47.31 days.
Mazda had the lowest days to sell among mainstream brands at 48.17.
AutoVision did note that the gap between the youngest and oldest group averages narrowed for a second month, from 21.32 days to 15.85.
Bottom line: With a slowing market and growing inventory, dealers should take a deep look at the market conditions in their area and what is selling to avoid stacking inventory not moving.
"Supply of the leading used vehicles we track rebounded strongly over the last month, while sales softened, yet the fastest sellers moved even faster, and the largest value gains grew," Mofrad said. "With more inventory available, dealers have an opportunity to be deliberate, focusing on vehicles that are both turning quickly and gaining value."
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