Report

82% of American buyers paid over MSRP for a new car in January

New data from Edmunds is full of shock value

The month of January saw 82.2% of new car buyers pay over MSRP for their new car, according to data collected by Edmunds. That’s an extraordinary number, even more so when provided the context that Edmunds data found 0.3% of new car buyers paid above MSRP in January 2021.

Just as we have reported for the past many months, the shortage of new cars combined with continued demand to buy them is to blame for these numbers. On average, a new vehicle bought in January 2022 was bought for $728 above MSRP. The data come from Edmunds, which compared new vehicle average transaction prices with the average MSRP across automakers. 

Edmunds even broke out the numbers for individual automakers, so we can see which OEMs are commanding the most money over MSRP. However, we’ll issue a caveat here. Not every brand’s numbers will reflect everybody’s individual experiences. For example, anybody hoping to buy a new Porsche 911 GT3 is likely to be met with far greater markups than if they were angling for a Macan. Plus, since these numbers only account for new cars sold, it doesn’t illustrate the massive markups seen on barely-used but technically not new cars out there. As in, that Mercedes-AMG G 63 you saw listed for $150,000 over sticker with 50 miles on it being sold as a “used car” won’t show up in this data.

Nevertheless, we’re sure you’re curious which brands are selling cars for the most over MSRP, so here’s Edmunds' list.

Coming in at number one, we have Cadillac with an average markup of $4,048. We suspect the Escalade is largely to blame for this one, but the Blackwing twins are two other highly desirable vehicles that could easily command big premiums throughout their initial rollout. Second up is Land Rover, averaging $2,565 over MSRP. And perhaps the big surprise of this list is Kia at number three, averaging $2,289 over MSRP. We suspect the Telluride can be blamed for this placement on the list. The aforementioned Porsche comes in at number four, but again, this could very well not be your experience if you’re out there shopping for a highly-desirable and low-volume model.

On the good news front, there are a few automakers who are still averaging below MSRP transaction prices. The best deals appear to be at Alfa Romeo, which is averaging the lowest transaction price versus MSRP of any automaker at $3,421 under. Nobody else is close, but Volvo, Lincoln, Ram, BMW and Mini are all going for under MSRP on average.

You can find the full list at Edmunds here.

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