auto dealer in black and red logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Black Book: Vehicle Depreciation Dropped to 13.2% in 2017

The average price of a used vehicle for model years 2012–’16 depreciated in value by 2.9%. Cars overall dropped by 3.0% and trucks decreased by 2.8% in value during December.

by Staff
January 22, 2018
Black Book: Vehicle Depreciation Dropped to 13.2% in 2017

 

1 min to read


Used subcompact luxury CUVs such as the Audi Q3 suffered a 19.2% year-over-year value decrease in December, leading all categories in Black Book’s latest rankings. Photo courtesy Audi AG

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — According to Black Book data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2012–’16 depreciated in value by 2.9%. Cars overall dropped by 3.0% and trucks decreased by 2.8% in value during December. All vehicles averaged a 12-month depreciation of 13.2% during 2017, compared to a depreciation of 17.3% in 2016.

The largest average depreciation for December was in the subcompact luxury crossover segment, which fell by 4.8%. Vehicles in this segment finished December with an average price of $14,952, a 19.2% decrease from the $18,496 price tag these units enjoyed just a year ago.

Prestige luxury cars saw the largest decrease in value from year-ago levels. This category dropped 23.4% since December of 2016, when its average price was $41,452. This group currently averages $31,745.

Two vehicle segments tied for the lowest depreciation during December: Small pickups and full-size vans decreased in value by just 1.7%.

“Vehicle values ended the year with an easing of depreciation during the month of December,” said Anil Goyal, Black Book’s senior vice president of automotive valuation and analytics. “Between a stronger-than-expected spring selling season that lasted into early summer and the two hurricanes during the fall that required a healthy dose of vehicle replacement activity, we saw lower overall depreciation this year compared with 2016.”

Originally posted on F&I and Showroom

More Dealer Ops

Auto Dealer Today, Dealer Debrief, 09/10/2026, with Lauren Lawrence
Dealer Opsby Lauren LawrenceSeptember 10, 2026

How to Avoid Phone Scams | Dealer Debrief 09/10/2026

Are you taking the necessary steps to protect your dealership and customer data from phone-based scams? This week's Dealer Debrief breaks down how!

Read More →
Auto Dealer Today, Dealer Debrief, 09/02/2026, with Lauren Lawrence
Dealer Opsby Lauren LawrenceSeptember 2, 2026

Dealer Debrief: August Auto Sales

Gas-powered engines still dominate the U.S. vehicle market, but hybrids are gaining ground as consumers look for ways to cut their gas costs.

Read More →
red, black, and yellow car in a car dealership showroom, Growth Beyond Sales text box, Auto Dealer Today logo
Dealer Opsby Lauren LawrenceJuly 31, 2026

Dealership Profits Decline

While new and used retail sales stagnated, dealerships have been particularly supported by fixed operations and finance-and-insurance profits, according to a new report.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Auto Dealer Today, Dealer Debrief, 07/15/2026, with Lauren Lawrence
Dealer Opsby Lauren LawrenceJuly 15, 2026

Dealer Debrief: Defection Data & EV Updates

In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses how to use defection data to your advantage and the latest on EV sales and charging infrastructure.

Read More →
Two professionals shake hands while exchanging a car key fob beside a vehicle, symbolizing a vehicle sale, lease agreement, or dealership transaction.
Dealer OpsJuly 8, 2026

How Defection Data is Bridging the Dealership Conversion Gap

Lead volume is flat, cross-shopping is up and brand loyalty is in retreat. As confident sales teams keep losing buyers they thought they had, daily industry sales data is showing dealers exactly where their funnel is breaking and how to fix it without buying a single new lead.

Read More →
Auto Dealer Today, Dealer Debrief, 07/02/2026 with Lauren Lawrence
Dealer Opsby Lauren LawrenceJuly 2, 2026

Dealer Debrief: Where are you losing customers?

In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses the hidden leaks in dealerships where you might be losing customers without even realizing it.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Auto Dealer Today, Dealer Debrief, 06/25/2026, with Lauren Lawrence
Dealer Opsby Lauren LawrenceJune 26, 2026

Dealer Debrief: Improving Your Inventory Management

In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence covers a new survey that shows what service technicians really want and two launches that could help improve your inventory and vehicle life cycle management.

Read More →
group of people standing in a circle holding puzzle pieces together
Dealer OpsJune 1, 2026

Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is a Dealership: Why the Fundamentals Still Decide Who Wins

A teaching moment by a legendary football coach happens to apply perfectly in the auto retail space. Learn what it is and how to use it to your store’s advantage.

Read More →
two cars on a billboard, No Hidden Fees
ComplianceMay 1, 2026

Dealer Ads and the FTC

The agency has made it clear in recent enforcement actions and warnings, in auto retail and other industries, that advertised prices must include all nonoptional costs to the consumer.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Closeup of white car's headlight, front end
Dealer Opsby Hannah MitchellApril 17, 2026

Used Autos Supply Dwindles

The March shopping surge, despite high prices, cut into inventory by the most since the thick of the pandemic, Cox Automotive analysts calculated.

Read More →