Black Book’s Used Vehicle Retention Index Continues to Increase
The seasonally adjusted Retention Index increased to 189.9 points, reaching another record.

The seasonally adjusted Retention Index increased to 189.9 points, reaching another record.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – Black Book, a division of Hearst that provides industry-leading used vehicle valuation and residual value forecast solutions, today released its Used Vehicle Retention Index for November 2021. The Index increased to 189.9 points, 9.7 points (or 5.4%) increase from October (180.2). The Index currently stands 45.4% above where it was this same time last year.
Click here to obtain a copy of the latest Index data.
“With no short-term resolutions to new inventory problems, dealers are continuing to spend money on used inventory, pushing wholesale prices up to new records across all segments in November,” said Alex Yurchenko, Chief Data Science Officer at Black Book. “Cars of all sizes and vans had the largest increases as used and new inventory in those segments declined to much lower levels compared to other segments of the market. We expect the used car prices to increase again in December but at a much lower rate as the volume of new inventory is starting to level off and consumer demand is softening a bit with record breaking used retail prices.”
The Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is calculated using Black Book’s published Wholesale Average value on two- to six-year-old used vehicles, as percent of original typically equipped MSRP. It is weighted based on registration volume and adjusted for seasonality, vehicle age, mileage, and condition. The Index offers an accurate, representative, and unbiased view of the strength of today’s used vehicle market values. To obtain a copy of the latest Black Book Wholesale Value Index, please click here.
More Fixed Ops

Extreme Temps Hinder EV Efficiency
American consumers might be happy to know that their preferred hybrids are slightly less impacted by extreme temperatures than fully electric vehicles, according to a new study.
Read More →
Ban on Air Bag Inflators by Chinese Maker Proposed
NHTSA blames 10 deaths and two serious injuries on what its investigators believe were illegally imported air bag inflators. It’s taking public comments before deciding whether to ban them outright.
Read More →
Fix It Forward Program Helps Man Regain Mobility
Albuquerque consumer who suffered a life-changing injury regains the use of his vehicle after Fiesta Volkswagen's service team shared his story with DOWC Cares.
Read More →
ASE Connects Partners With Worldpac to Build Technician Numbers
The collaboration is intended to help auto dealerships, automakers and after-market shops further develop the technician pipeline.
Read More →
Not as Tickled With Tires
U.S. consumers are finding less satisfaction with the rubber that meets their roads, though their loyalty to tire brands has lately inched up.
Read More →
Auto Recalls Sank Last Year
2025 Sedgwick data indicate that the number of vehicles affected fell to its lowest point in more than a decade.
Read More →
ASE Winter Registration Now Open
The deadline to register for the industry standard certification testing is March 31.
Read More →
U.S. Drivers Overdue for Major Services
Data shows dealers have ample opportunity ahead of the holiday travel season.
Read More →
Auto Dealers Losing Service Customers
Study finds that though overall service drive revenue is up, loyalty is eroding
Read More →
Jeeps Can Catch Fire
Hundreds of thousands recalled, some for second time, to address battery flaw
Read More →