October’s Car Offer Got Newer While Advertisement Numbers Barely Changed
October brought 6,525 new passenger-car advertisements, a $14,500 median ask and a median model year of 2021.
A month almost level with September
October closed with 6,525 new passenger-car advertisements, just 25 fewer than September’s 6,550. The 0.4% decline left the monthly flow almost unchanged. Both months were smaller than August’s 6,661 and well below the 8,291 recorded in May.
The stability in the total conceals a different vehicle mix. October’s median model year moved to 2021, after 2020 in September. A similar number of offers gave buyers a newer model-year midpoint.
A month almost level with September
October closed with 6,525 new passenger-car advertisements, just 25 fewer than September’s 6,550. The 0.4% decline left the monthly flow almost unchanged. Both months were smaller than August’s 6,661 and well below the 8,291 recorded in May.
The stability in the total conceals a different vehicle mix. October’s median model year moved to 2021, after 2020 in September. A similar number of offers gave buyers a newer model-year midpoint.
Monthly median asking prices
US-dollar asking prices; all months read together on 1 November.
The median ask rose by $200
In the 1 November reading, October’s median asking price was $14,500, against $14,300 for September. That is $200, or 1.4%, higher. The price midpoint rose alongside the model-year midpoint.
October still contained 1,763 offers below $10,000, a 27.0% share. At the other end, 1,486 were priced at $25,000 or more, or 22.8%. A buyer’s experience therefore depends heavily on which part of the range they search.
The median ask rose by $200
In the 1 November reading, October’s median asking price was $14,500, against $14,300 for September. That is $200, or 1.4%, higher. The price midpoint rose alongside the model-year midpoint.
October still contained 1,763 offers below $10,000, a 27.0% share. At the other end, 1,486 were priced at $25,000 or more, or 22.8%. A buyer’s experience therefore depends heavily on which part of the range they search.
Monthly median asking prices
US-dollar asking prices; all months read together on 1 November.
Clearance sits close to an even split
3,251 October offers awaited customs clearance, representing 49.8% of the month. September had 3,184, or 48.6%. The share moved up by 1.2 percentage points.
With almost half the October offer awaiting clearance, the advertised price needs to be read together with customs status. A shortlist of already cleared vehicles and a shortlist of vehicles awaiting clearance can lead to quite different model and year choices at the same headline budget.
More hybrid and electric advertisements
Fuel type was stated in 4,549 October advertisements. These included 235 electric cars and 1,075 hybrids or plug-in hybrids. September’s corresponding counts were 219 and 1,045.
The counts add a powertrain view to the monthly ledger. For shopping, they are most useful alongside the model year and clearance position: a newer hybrid awaiting clearance belongs to a different purchase calculation from an older, cleared petrol car.
The October buying reference
The month’s combination is a nearly flat number of new offers, a newer model-year midpoint, a slightly higher median ask and a clearance split close to half. Each indicator contributes something different to the search.
For a buyer setting a $15,000 budget, the market midpoint is close to the spending limit. Narrowing the search by clearance, model and service history is the next step. The October offer and September comparison were read together on 1 November 2026.
Passenger-car asking prices. Reading date: 1 November 2026.
Methodology
AutoBridge advertised passenger cars.
Passenger-car asking prices and the vehicle characteristics stated in the advertisements.
Reading date: 1 November 2026.