Data Point
13-Month Rolling Used-Vehicle SAAR
Thursday November 5, 2020
Article Highlights
- According to Cox Automotive estimates, total used vehicle sales volume was down 5% year over year in September.
- We estimate the September used SAAR to be 38.0 million, down from 39.8 million last September and flat compared to August.
- The September used retail SAAR estimate is 20.2 million, down from 20.7 million last year and slightly down month over month from August’s 20.3 million rate.
As another data point to monitor the health of the automotive market, Cox Automotive calculates a 13-month rolling used-vehicle seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). According to Cox Automotive estimates, total used vehicle sales volume was down 5% year over year in October. We estimate the October used SAAR to be 37.5 million, down from 39.6 million last October and down compared to September’s 39.0 million rate.
The used retail SAAR takes it a step further by only looking at used vehicles sold via a dealership (both franchised and independent) thus removing private party sales from the calculation. The October used retail SAAR estimate is 20.4 million, down slightly from 20.6 million last year and slightly down month over month from September’s 20.7 million rate.
Download the used-vehicle SAAR data file.
The Cox Automotive used-vehicle SAAR is updated monthly – one business day prior to the release of the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, which is published on the fifth business day of each month.