ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2026 – October new-vehicle sales are expected to finish higher than last month and last year, while maintaining the sales path held for most of the year. Despite declining consumer sentiment, the seasonally adjusted annual rate, or SAAR, is expected to finish near 16.1 million. This is up from last month’s 16 million pace and last year’s 15.7 million level.
According to Cox Automotive’s forecast, sales volume is expected to rise 3.6% from last month and 7.2% from last year. There are large seasonal adjustments that make monthly comparisons challenging. October has 28 selling days, three more than last month and one more than last year. More selling days this month should lead to notably higher sales than in September. However, historically, the sales pace also slows in October, which will mitigate some of the expected increase.
According to Jonathan Gregory, senior director of Economic and Industry Insights at Cox Automotive: “October sales should remain on a path the market has consistently followed since March, which is basically a low-mid 16 million pace. Healthy fleet sales, wealthier new-vehicle buyers and more access to credit are all keeping this market relatively strong in the face of many headwinds. Stubbornly high gas prices and historically low consumer confidence have not impacted the new-vehicle market as much as one might expect. New-vehicle buyers today are more affluent, so they may not be as impacted by inflationary pressures as other consumers.”
October 2026 New-Vehicle Sales Forecast
