US Used-EV Wholesale Prices Fall 4.7% in August, Still Up 4.5% on Last Year

Cox Automotive published the full-August edition of the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index on 8 September. The index tracks US wholesale used-vehicle prices — the prices dealers pay when sourcing vehicles — adjusted for vehicle mix, mileage and seasonality. In August it stood at 208.2.

• Index level, adjusted — August 2026: 208.2
• Year over year, adjusted — August 2026: +0.4%
• Month over month, adjusted — August 2026: −0.9%; Long-term August average: +0.5%
• Year over year, non-adjusted — August 2026: +0.2%
• Month over month, non-adjusted — August 2026: −0.5%; Long-term August average: +0.1%

August went against the seasonal pattern: instead of the long-term August increase of 0.5%, adjusted values fell 0.9% from July. Year over year, the market is still marginally positive.

July's edition, published on 7 August, had the EV index up 10.5% year over year while non-EV values were up 0.4%. By August, the gap between those annual rates had narrowed:

• EV — July, year over year: +10.5%; August, year over year: +4.5%
• Non-EV — July, year over year: +0.4%; August, year over year: −0.9%
• Gap in annual changes — July, year over year: 10.1 percentage points; August, year over year: 5.4 percentage points

The difference between the two year-over-year rates shrank from 10.1 to 5.4 percentage points. EV annual growth slowed more sharply: from 10.5% to 4.5%, while the non-EV rate moved from +0.4% to −0.9%. Separately, EV values fell 4.7% from July after a 2.1% monthly decline in July.

• Overall year-over-year price growth was led by EVs and compact cars, while pickups and SUVs continue to trend down.
• The Three-Year-Old Index fell 1.8%, more than the typical August depreciation of 0.6%.
• Older, cheaper units held value better: the 9- and 10-year-old cohorts sat six percentage points above their long-term depreciation averages. Cox's chief economist Jeremy Robb reads this as "increasing demand for affordable used products."
• Used retail sales picked up through August, and retail days' supply ended the month at 44 days, down two from July.

AutoBridge's 25 August report put US-built cars at 34% of new advertised cars with a known assembly origin in Georgia during 1–23 August. That share describes where the cars were built; the country of purchase is a separate characteristic.

For buyers sourcing in the United States, the Manheim indexes provide a broad wholesale-market benchmark. In August, EV values fell more sharply than non-EV values from July, while their year-over-year changes were +4.5% and −0.9%, respectively. Compare current offers for the same model, age, mileage and condition. The final landed cost in Georgia also depends on freight, exchange rates and customs charges.