ZEROSUM "STATE OF THE DEALER" REPORT: NEW VEHICLE INVENTORY HITS 3.04 MILLION UNITS AS MODEL YEAR CHANGEOVERS FUEL GROWTH ON DEALER LOTS

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Nov 05, 2025, 09:30 ET

Used Vehicle Prices Reach Record High of $27,000 as Used Vehicle Inventory Falls

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Model year changeovers pushed new vehicle inventory 150,000 units higher to 3.04 million units—the first time the three million mark has been surpassed since March 2025 according to ZeroSum's November 2025 "State of the Dealer" report. New vehicle sales increased by 70,000 month-over-month in October, but has been relatively stable for the better part of a year.

New vehicle inventory jumped up 150,000 units and is now above 3 million for the first time since March.

With supply growing at a faster rate than demand, vehicle turn rate – the percentage of a dealer's inventory sold in one month – dropped to 36% in October. It was the second consecutive decline on this metric after reaching 41% in August. Turn rates are expected to stay flat in the current month, as November vehicle movement is projected to fall slightly to 1.11 million units.

"With model year changeovers in full swing and the industry gearing up for winter sales events, inventory growth is not unexpected," said Shawn Brunner, Senior Director of Sales at ZeroSum. "But with turn rates in decline, dealers must contend with an accelerating supply and stubbornly flat demand picture. Given the current market dynamics, it is even more crucial for dealers to stand out at retail and smartly highlight their inventory as the industry prepares for seasonal shifts at year's end."

Used vehicle inventory fell for the second straight month in October to 1.89 million units, down from 1.98 million just two months ago. At the same time, used vehicle sales jumped by more 70,000 units in October, to 1.33 million units from 1.26 million units in September.

The combination of lower inventories and higher demand pushed used vehicles to $27,000 -- their highest price point of the year – up $500 from September and up $1,700 since February.

"Over the past year, used vehicles are somewhat of a contrast compared to the new vehicle sector," said Brunner. "Inventory has been relatively flat, but vehicle movement has been increasing, although not in a straight line upward. As a result, turn rates have generally been improving. But with prices hitting new yearly highs, and winter sales events looming, dealers cannot get complacent that these trends will continue without focus and attention."

ZeroSum provides cutting-edge inventory-based market intelligence and digital advertising solutions tailored to dealers. The State of the Dealer report is the first and premier data source for the new, used, and certified pre-owned automotive markets.

Click here to download ZeroSum's entire State of the Dealer Report, including vehicle movement, turn rate, days-to-move, inventory, and pricing trends for new, used, and certified vehicles.

About ZeroSum

ZeroSum, an Advance Automotive company, is an industry leader in software, digital advertising, and market intelligence data. Powered by its SaaS platform, MarketAI, ZeroSum is simplifying and modernizing automotive marketing by leveraging artificial intelligence, market data, and scalability to acquire new customers. ZeroSum is the first and only company that matches consumer demand with automotive data in real-time for dealer marketing efficiency. For more information, visit www.zerosum.ai

About Advance Automotive

Created in 2017, Advance Automotive is a portfolio of automotive, technology, marketing, data, and software businesses providing AI-driven marketing solutions in the automotive industry. Advance Automotive includes independently operated agencies, ZeroSum, Adpearance, and Search Optics as well as data and analytics from Cloud Theory and dynamic ad creation solutions from Hoot Interactive.. Advance Automotive is part of Advance Local, a key unit of Advance, a privately held company founded in 1922.

Advance's portfolio of exceptional companies includes: