According to Cox Automotive, used car wholesale prices (that’s what dealers pay for cars they sell to consumers on their lots) rose an average of 1.7% year-over-year in July. But prices for two categories of used cars rose much higher: Electric vehicles increased 10.5%, and compact cars were up just over 4%.With an EV, you never have to buy gas. With a compact car — think a Honda Civic — you’ll go a lot farther on a tank of gas than you will in a big SUV. So with gas at $4 a gallon, Sam Fiorani at AutoForecast Solutions said it's not a coincidence that used electric and smaller cars are in high demand.“Buyers are more frugal,” he said. “They're looking for more affordability. They're looking for better gas mileage. They're looking for lower cost.”While they’re both rising in price, the markets for used electrics and compacts are a bit different. Three years ago, EV leases were cheap, thanks to federal incentives. Now, those leased cars are hitting the used market, per Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com.”A lot of people had predicted a drop in used EV prices because so many would be flooding onto the used market in the next 12 months,” he said.Instead, as gas prices have risen, so has demand for used EVs, pushing up their wholesale price. The supply of used compact cars, on the other hand, has been shrinking, Brauer said. For the last decade or so, car companies have made a lot more SUVs and crossovers, and fewer sedans.”There's not as wide of a spectrum to choose from, and there aren't as many available,” he said.Now, that limited compact car supply is hitting rising demand from consumers who just want the cheapest car on the lot.