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Tesla suffers No. 1 used-car price drop, by this math

Jonathan Lansner, The Orange County Register on

Published in Automotive News

The price of used Teslas dropped faster than any other auto brand in the past year, a new report says.

ISeeCars.com — trackers of used-car sales — says the average price paid for a used Tesla was down 8% to $30,708. The next most significant price drops were Chrysler, off 7% to $25,632, Dodge, off 6% to $33,763, Genesis, off 5% to $33,769, and Maserati, off 5% to $43,821.

Tesla faces numerous problems, most notably the controversial political roles of its high-profile chief executive, Elon Musk. His budget-cutting work for the Trump administration enraged many former Musk/Tesla fans, slashing the appeal of a once high-flying brand. Musk’s recent fallout with President Trump — not a factor in these sales stats — won’t help Tesla’s value.

Note that in May, Tesla had four of its models among the 10 biggest price declines industrywide: Model S, off 16% to $46,503 — the biggest dip, No. 2 was Model Y, off 14% to $29,789, No. 5 was Model 3, off 11% to $25,361, and No. 10 was Model X, off 9% to $54,004.

It’s not just used Teslas that are out of favor. Sales of its new cars have slumped, too — as has the company’s stock, slashed in value by one-third since a peak in mid-December.

“Multiple factors contribute to a used car’s value, but being an electric vehicle and wearing the ‘Tesla’ brand appears to be a double negative,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars’ executive analyst. iSeeCars used-car study focuses on cars between 1 and 5 years old.

Electric vehicles have lost their shine in the used-car market, as drivers fret about their hefty price tags and some operational challenges, notably how to keep the cars charged. Used EV sales prices were off 9% in the year ending in May to $31,110. Used passenger cars and minivans also saw declines, down 2% to $27,292.

 

Conversely, Americans’ love for larger vehicles drove used SUV prices up 4% to $32,770 as trucks became 2% more expensive to $39,880.

Curiously, prices of hybrids were up 2% to $30,702. Consumers paying up for these combinations of old and new engine technologies suggest some drivers want cutting-edge and efficient vehicles, not just the cost and challenges tied to EVs.

Overall, the report has some bad news for used-car shoppers: prices have risen on a yearly basis for three consecutive months. For May, prices rose 2% in a year to $32,317. By brand, the biggest gains had a luxury feel: Infiniti, up 10% to $35,915, Acura, up 9% to $37,099, and Lexus, up 8% to $41,712.

According to Brauer, it’s all about not having enough cars on the sales lots thanks to the “COVID hangover” — limited new-car production in 2020-22 — and more drivers keeping leased vehicles.

More concerning, he notes, “This supply issue won’t resolve itself in the near term, suggesting we could continue to see used-car prices grow over the next six months.”


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