The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index reached 215.3 in March 2026, up 6.2% year over year and the highest level since summer 2023. By June it had eased to 212.9 but remained 2.1% above the prior year.
Cox also reported only 31 days of supply for vehicles priced below $15,000 in February, compared with 42 days for the total used market. The payment-friendly inventory many stores needed was among the hardest to buy.
Sources: Cox Automotive Q1 and Q2 2026 MUVVI reports. The bars compare discrete quarter-end observations.
Build the all-in buy cap
Total cost to market includes hammer price, buyer fee, inspection, transport, recon, title and storage exceptions, floorplan carry and expected arbitration loss. A risk reserve is appropriate when remote condition information is incomplete.
Reprice the rule as the market moves
The spring-to-summer change shows why buyers should not carry one month's assumptions forward. Buy lists and exit prices need a current market feed and a trigger for aging or revised recon.
The Manheim index is a proprietary, mix-adjusted wholesale measure and is not a direct forecast of a specific vehicle's retail value.
Cited references
- Cox Q1 2026 wholesale analysis — Proprietary wholesale-market report
- Cox Q2 2026 wholesale analysis — Proprietary wholesale-market report
- Cox February used inventory — Proprietary inventory report