Canadians are paying less for new and used vehicles in early 2026 than they had been a year ago, according to AutoTrader’s latest report.

AutoTrader, Canada’s largest vehicle marketplace released its price index for the first quarter of 2026.

The report shows both new and used average vehicle prices were down in March on a year-over-year basis as well as from a month earlier.

How much are new vehicle prices down?

• Average new vehicle prices in March 2026 – $62,830
• Down 2.7 per cent year over year
• Down 0.2 per cent month over month

How much are used vehicle prices down?

• Average used vehicle prices in March 2026 – $36,713
• Down 0.3 per cent year over year
• Down 0.3 per cent month over month

Used vehicle prices up from December

It’s important to note that while average used vehicle prices in March were lower than they had been in February and in March 2025, they’re up slightly from a quarter ago.

AutoTrader’s Q4 2025 price index showed average used vehicle prices were $35,201 in December 2025. Used vehicle prices typically jump in January, which is what happened this year, and then they gradually come down during the year.

AutoTrader said March 2026’s average used vehicle prices are the lowest March prices since 2022.

The full report is available on the AutoTrader website.

Why do we care about AutoTrader’s price index?

AutoTrader is not the only organization that provides insights into average vehicle prices in Canada, and its findings sometimes contradict those of Statistics Canada.

However, AutoTrader is the largest automotive marketplace in Canada, therefore it has access to what’s likely the largest data set in the country.

While that’s no guarantee of perfect accuracy, AutoTrader’s price index is a good barometer of average Canadian vehicle prices.

---