Atlanta – October 13, 2026 -- The average transaction price (ATP) for a new vehicle in the United States rose for a fourth consecutive month in September to $50,562, $52 below the all-time record of $50,614 set in December 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive brand.
The ATP climbed 0.9% from $50,089 in August. Year over year, it gained just 0.7%, well below the typical September increase of 2% to 4%.
Affordable segments and late model-year arrivals hold back price growth
Kelley Blue Book attributes the muted gain partly to strong sales in lower-priced segments, including subcompact SUVs, compact cars and small/mid-size pickups. Arrivals of next-model-year vehicles, which are often repriced for updates, are running well behind historic norms.
The average manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) rose to $52,342 from $51,821 in August. That is up 0.8% from September 2025 and below long-term averages.
Incentives fall 8.8% year over year to $3,359
Incentive spending averaged 6.6% of ATP in September, up from 6.5% in August but below 7.3% a year earlier. The average estimated incentive was $3,359, up 2.6% month over month and down 8.8% year over year.
Top five segments account for 855,000 sales as four post above-average price gains
The five highest-volume segments sold roughly 855,000 vehicles, nearly two-thirds of September volume. Four of the five posted price gains above the industry average, which points to sales mix as the main brake on the headline figure.
- Compact SUV: $37,614, down 0.4% year over year
- Mid-size SUV: $50,630, up 2%
- Full-size pickup: $67,573, up 1.5%
- Subcompact SUV: $31,213, up 1.5%
- Compact car: $27,977, up 3.2%
Erin Keating, Executive Analyst at Cox Automotive, said consumers buy specific vehicles rather than the industry average, and affordability pressure is pushing buyers toward cheaper segments, which tempers the overall figure even as individual vehicle prices rise.
EV prices fall 3% year over year to $55,879 as incentives hit 2026 low
The new electric vehicle ATP was $55,879 in September, up from a downwardly revised $54,574 in August. A strong mix of more affordable EV models pulled prices 3% below September 2025.
The EV premium over an ICE+ model was 11%. The gap has stayed near 11% throughout 2026, down from close to 18% on average in 2025.
EV incentives fell to 11% of ATP, the lowest level of 2026, compared with 14.2% a year earlier.
Tesla ATP rises 3.3% month over month to $54,345
Tesla's ATP was up just 0.4% from a year earlier. The Model 3 ($53,804) and Model Y ($53,052) made up nearly 97% of Tesla sales. Nearly 1,500 Cybertrucks were sold at an average ATP of $98,109.