New car prices reached a record high of $51,974.
Full-size pickup trucks lead the market with the biggest price increases.
Higher prices are not leading to lower sales.
If you feel like new cars are all too expensive, it's not just a figment of your imagination; the data backs it up. New Catalyst IQ data reported by Automotive News reveals that new vehicles in the United States broke a three-year-old record for the highest average transaction price.
On Jun 26, 2026, the Catalyst IQ Vehicle Price and Inventory Tracker hit $51,820, breaking the previous record of $51,819 by just a single dollar, which was set back on July 7, 2023.
