New Listings Got Newer While the Median Asking Price Stayed Near $14,000
Between March and the first twenty days of July, the median asking price of newly listed cars moved from $13,500 to $13,900. At the same time, the share from model year 2023 or later rose from 15.6% to 23.2%. These are changes in the distribution of advertised supply, not proof that an equivalent car became cheaper or that buyers paid the same price for a newer vehicle.
The middle price changed little; the supply mix changed more
Under the canonical AutoBridge filter, the median asking price of a newly listed passenger car was $13,500 in March 2026 and $13,900 in 1–20 July. The increase was 3.0%.
Over the same comparison, the share of listings from model year 2023 or later rose from 15.6% to 23.2%. The median recorded model year moved from 2019 to 2020. These are meaningful composition changes in the available listings.
They should not be combined into a fictional “typical car”. The median price and median model year can belong to different observations, and the set of makes, models, conditions, customs statuses and sellers changed between the two periods. The data show that new supply became younger in aggregate while its middle asking price stayed near $14,000. They do not show what a matched car cost.
Asking-price percentiles for newly listed cars
US dollars. July is partial through the 20th. Percentiles describe changing listing populations, not like-for-like vehicle prices.
The lower end became more expensive and less common
The median alone understates movement at the cheaper end of the distribution. The 10th percentile rose from $5,000 to $5,556, and the 25th percentile from $7,900 to $8,800. Both increases were about 11%.
The share of new listings below $5,000 fell from 9.5% to 7.1%. At the upper end, the 90th percentile rose from $36,095 to $38,500, while the share at $30,000 or more moved from 14.2% to 15.3%.
The accurate summary is therefore not that asking prices were flat. The middle moved little, but the lower tail rose and thinned. This distinction matters to buyers whose budgets are below the market median.
The lower end became more expensive and less common
The median alone understates movement at the cheaper end of the distribution. The 10th percentile rose from $5,000 to $5,556, and the 25th percentile from $7,900 to $8,800. Both increases were about 11%.
The share of new listings below $5,000 fell from 9.5% to 7.1%. At the upper end, the 90th percentile rose from $36,095 to $38,500, while the share at $30,000 or more moved from 14.2% to 15.3%.
The accurate summary is therefore not that asking prices were flat. The middle moved little, but the lower tail rose and thinned. This distinction matters to buyers whose budgets are below the market median.
Asking-price percentiles for newly listed cars
US dollars. July is partial through the 20th. Percentiles describe changing listing populations, not like-for-like vehicle prices.
The age shift accelerated in late June and July
The monthly share of 2023-or-newer listings was 15.6% in March, 17.8% in April, 17.9% in May, 18.8% in June and 23.2% in partial July.
Weekly data show the late movement more clearly. The share was 16.3% in the week beginning 1 June, 20.4% in the weeks beginning 15 and 22 June, 21.3% in the week beginning 29 June, and 24.8% in the week beginning 6 July. It then eased to 22.1% in the week beginning 13 July.
The 24.8% observation is the highest in a series that begins only in March 2026. It should not be described as a long-run record, and partial July should not be treated as a complete month.
The age shift accelerated in late June and July
The monthly share of 2023-or-newer listings was 15.6% in March, 17.8% in April, 17.9% in May, 18.8% in June and 23.2% in partial July.
Weekly data show the late movement more clearly. The share was 16.3% in the week beginning 1 June, 20.4% in the weeks beginning 15 and 22 June, 21.3% in the week beginning 29 June, and 24.8% in the week beginning 6 July. It then eased to 22.1% in the week beginning 13 July.
The 24.8% observation is the highest in a series that begins only in March 2026. It should not be described as a long-run record, and partial July should not be treated as a complete month.
Model-year composition of new listings: March and partial July
Listings with a recorded model year. Changes are shares of advertised supply and do not identify one-for-one replacement.
One model-year band lost share
Between March and partial July, the 2015–2019 band fell from 35.1% to 29.5% of listings with a recorded year. Pre-2015 cars changed from 17.2% to 16.2%, and the 2020–2022 band from 32.2% to 31.2%. The increase in 2023-or-newer cars therefore corresponds mainly to a lower share for the late-2010s band.
“Corresponds” is the important word. Listing shares do not track individual substitutions. They cannot show that a seller or importer replaced one specific 2018 car with one specific 2023 car.
The median asking price within the broad 2023-or-newer group fell from $25,000 to $21,500. That may help explain why more of those listings sit closer to the market middle, but it is not a like-for-like price decline: the group’s mix of models and model years can change substantially.
One model-year band lost share
Between March and partial July, the 2015–2019 band fell from 35.1% to 29.5% of listings with a recorded year. Pre-2015 cars changed from 17.2% to 16.2%, and the 2020–2022 band from 32.2% to 31.2%. The increase in 2023-or-newer cars therefore corresponds mainly to a lower share for the late-2010s band.
“Corresponds” is the important word. Listing shares do not track individual substitutions. They cannot show that a seller or importer replaced one specific 2018 car with one specific 2023 car.
The median asking price within the broad 2023-or-newer group fell from $25,000 to $21,500. That may help explain why more of those listings sit closer to the market middle, but it is not a like-for-like price decline: the group’s mix of models and model years can change substantially.
Model-year composition of new listings: March and partial July
Listings with a recorded model year. Changes are shares of advertised supply and do not identify one-for-one replacement.
Share of 2023-or-newer listings within each supply channel
Each share is calculated within its own channel. Channel status is a classification proxy, not a causal explanation.
The shift occurred within both listing channels
The share of 2023-or-newer cars rose inside the import/auction channel from 19.9% in March to 30.5% in partial July. It also rose inside the domestic-classifieds channel, from 12.0% to 16.3%.
The import/auction channel itself increased only modestly as a share of all new listings, from 44.6% to 47.8%. Holding the March channel weights fixed and applying July’s within-channel shares gives a market-wide 2023-or-newer share of 22.6%, close to the observed 23.2%.
This decomposition shows that most of the aggregate rise came from changes within the two defined channels rather than only from a larger weight for the younger channel. It does not make the channel labels perfect or identify why either channel changed.
The shift occurred within both listing channels
The share of 2023-or-newer cars rose inside the import/auction channel from 19.9% in March to 30.5% in partial July. It also rose inside the domestic-classifieds channel, from 12.0% to 16.3%.
The import/auction channel itself increased only modestly as a share of all new listings, from 44.6% to 47.8%. Holding the March channel weights fixed and applying July’s within-channel shares gives a market-wide 2023-or-newer share of 22.6%, close to the observed 23.2%.
This decomposition shows that most of the aggregate rise came from changes within the two defined channels rather than only from a larger weight for the younger channel. It does not make the channel labels perfect or identify why either channel changed.
Share of 2023-or-newer listings within each supply channel
Each share is calculated within its own channel. Channel status is a classification proxy, not a causal explanation.
Asking prices are not transaction prices
The database records the price published when an advertisement first appears. It does not observe negotiation, discounts, financing, trade-ins or the final transaction price. Nothing here establishes what buyers paid.
The analysis also does not compare identical cars. A statement such as “the same money now buys a newer car” would require matching on make, model, trim, mileage, condition, damage history, customs status and other characteristics. The present data support a market-composition statement, not a buyer-value claim.
The revised excise schedule, which entered into force on 2 April, is relevant context because it sharply differentiates cars by age. It is not the only possible explanation. Seasonality, exchange rates, auction supply, shipping lags and seller behaviour are not controlled for.
Data limitations
July covers 1–20 July and is therefore partial. Model-year calculations exclude listings with no recorded year. Asking-price statistics apply the $2,000 floor in the canonical filter.
No days-on-market or sale-speed measure is included. A 9 July maintenance operation changed the historical status of dormant listings and invalidated exit-based comparisons across that date, while first-listing prices and attributes remained unchanged.
Model names are not used because spelling and normalization problems remain in the underlying field.
AutoBridge listing data under the canonical filter, queried 20 July 2026. Prices are asking prices at first listing. July covers 1–20 July.
Methodology
Data: AutoBridge listings dataset — passenger cars, listings publicly visible (not hidden by the seller), first listed from 1 March 2026, asking price of at least $2,000.
Prices: the price published when an advertisement first appears. This is what a seller asks, not what a buyer pays; discounts, negotiation, trade-ins and financing are not visible in this data.
Channels: listings are split into an import and auction channel and a domestic classifieds channel according to where the listing came from. This is a classification of advertisements, not a verified record of how each car reached Georgia.
Excise rates: taken from the Tax Code of Georgia. The revised rates entered into force on 2 April 2026.
34,005 listings pass the filter: 6,456 in March, 6,533 in April, 8,296 in May, 7,988 in June and 4,732 from 1 to 20 July.
1 March — 20 July 2026. July covers only twenty days and cannot be compared with a full month. The report describes what is being offered, not what a particular car costs: it does not compare identical cars, so it cannot show that the same money buys a newer vehicle. No measure of sales, sale speed or time on the market is used: a maintenance pass on 9 July 2026 rewrote the recorded history of dormant listings, which makes any such measure unreliable across that date.