U.S.: market size of used car dealers 2019-2021

Used car dealers in the United States had a market size of 138.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. While the industry value dipped at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, used car sales quickly recovered, with used car dealers' market value hiking above its pre-pandemic levels.

The used car market boom

The used car market has been gaining steam since 2017 when the volume of used light vehicles sold hiked by just under 11 percent year-over-year to 42.7 million sales. By 2021, around 43.1 million used light vehicles were sold in the U.S, representing just under 74 percent of the total light vehicle sales in the country. While sales increased, the average used vehicle selling price also inflated—up 21 percent year-over-year in 2021—with vans, sport-utility vehicles, and crossover utility vehicles recording the steepest price increase. The semiconductor shortage, forcing halts in new vehicle production, is partly responsible for this boom in the used car market. Most used vehicle retail inventory in June 2022 was priced above 35,000 U.S. dollars, making the used car market increasingly inaccessible to consumers.

Light trucks at the forefront of sales

U.S. consumer satisfaction with their overall shopping experience dropped in 2021, with used car buyers reporting a satisfaction rate of 65 percent, compared to 71 percent in 2020. While 2021 satisfaction is higher than in 2019, this denotes the impact of higher prices on customers. Most consumers opted for used light trucks instead of used automobiles. The net purchase of used light trucks spiked in the third quarter of 2019, reaching 194.7 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2022, while auto sales had a net purchase value of 52 billion U.S. dollars that same quarter. The Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and Ram Pickup 1500 were the 2016 to 2020 MY models with the largest share of used car sales in the U.S. Ford was also the third best-selling manufacturer for new vehicles in the U.S.