Tag: Automotive Finance Market analysis

According to Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q2 2022, the average new vehicle interest loan rate for consumers with a credit score between 501 and 600, also referred to as subprime, was 9.75%—compared to prime consumers with a credit score between 661 and 780, who had an average new vehicle interest loan rate of 4.03% this quarter.

Leasing has long been a popular choice among consumers who want to enjoy the latest vehicle models, but at a lower monthly payment. In fact, the average monthly lease payment was $127 less than a loan payment in Q2 2022. However, in recent quarters, we’ve seen leasing availability decline due to current market conditions. According to Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q2 2022, leasing declined from 27.82% to 19.65% year-over-year, marking the lowest drop in quite some time. When analyzing previous data, leasing comprised 30.41% of all new vehicles in Q2 2018, decreasing to 30.04% in Q2 2019 and 26.58% in Q2 2020. There are likely a number of factors contributing to the decline of leasing over recent years, including the ongoing inventory shortages and OEMs not offering as many incentives, which may result in leasing opportunities becoming less common. Other scenarios can be consumers choosing to extend their lease, or purchase the vehicle once their lease has expired. In Q2 2022, the average monthly lease payment increased to $540, from $475 in Q2 2021. Though, the average monthly loan payment for a new vehicle surpassed $600 this quarter—coming in at $667, an $85 year-over-year increase. As automotive professionals continue to navigate through the inventory shortages and subsequent vehicle price increases, understanding the landscape and what options are available for consumers will be critical. One way to keep on top of the trends is analyzing the pricing options for the most popular leased models, which will enable more informed decisions in the months to come. Average monthly payment for top leased models As previously mentioned, there was an average payment difference of $127 between a lease and a loan in Q2 2022. However, that’s just an average, and these numbers can vary based on the vehicle type. For example, the average monthly lease payment for a Honda Civic was $363 in Q2 2022, as opposed to the average monthly loan payment of $476. In comparison, the average monthly lease payment for a Ford F-150 came in at $516 this quarter, compared to the average monthly loan payment of $832. While a pickup truck may typically have a higher average monthly lease payment than a sedan, consumers are continuing to choose larger vehicles, overall. In Q2 2022, there was only one sedan that made up the top leased vehicles—with the Ford F-150 having the highest leasing registration volume, comprising 2.3% this quarter. Rounding out the top five were Chevrolet Equinox (2.27%), Honda CR-V (2.16%), Honda Civic (2.09%), and Ram 1500 (1.81%). Despite the overall decline in leasing over the past year, it continues to be a financing option that consumers can consider amid vehicle prices increasing. Knowing what vehicles are most prevalent as well as their price points will allow professionals to create strategies that cater to the most current consumer financing preferences during their search for a vehicle that fits their needs. To learn more about leasing and other automotive finance trends, watch the entire State of the Automotive Finance Market: Q2 2022 presentation on demand.

Consumers are shifting to used vehicles over new, with a higher percentage of consumers financing used. The move comes as the industry continues to grapple with inventory shortages, driving vehicle values higher.

According to Experian's State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q1 2022, SUVs and CUVs made up 60.38% of total vehicle financing, an increase from 58.95% in Q1 2021.

According to Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q1 2022, credit unions had their highest total share in five years

The State of the Automotive Finance Market: Q4 2021 report broke down alternative fuel financing trends—specifically how electric vehicle (EV) financing doubled year-over-year.

According to Experian’s State of Automotive Finance Market: Q3 2021 report, leasing comprised 24.03% of new vehicle financing in Q3 2021.

In Q3 2021, the average new vehicle loan amount increased 8.5% year-over-year, while the average used vehicle loan jumped more than 20% year-over year.

According to Experian’s Q3 2020 State of the Automotive Finance Market report, 26.20% of all new vehicles are leased compared to 30.27% last year.

While things aren't quite back to normal in Q3 2020, there were a number of positive trends that demonstrates the automotive industry's resilience.

The early assessment for the automotive industry is that despite significant challenges at the onset of the pandemic, the industry continues to rebound.

Vehicle affordability has been a main topic of conversation in the auto industry for some time, and based on the data, it’s not going unnoticed by consumers. The average new vehicle loan in Q1 2019 reached $32,187, while the average new vehicle monthly loan payment hit $554. How are car shoppers reacting? Perhaps the biggest shift in Q1 2019 was the growth of prime and super prime customers opting for used vehicles. The percentage of prime (61.88 percent) and super-prime (44.78 percent) consumers choosing used vehicles reached an all-time high in Q1 2019, according to Experian data. Not only are we seeing new payment amounts increase, but used loan amounts and payments are on the rise as well, though the delta between the two can be one of the reason we’re seeing more prime and super prime opt for used. The average used vehicle loan was slightly above $20,000 in Q1 2019, while the average used vehicle payment was $391. We know that consumers often shop based on the monthly payment amount, and given the $163 difference between average monthly payments for new and used, it’s not surprising to see more people opt for used vehicles. Another way that consumers can look to have a smaller payment amount is through leasing. We’re continuing to see that the top vehicles leased are more expensive CUVs, trucks and SUVs, which are pricier vehicles to purchase. But with the average lease payment being $457 per month, there’s an average difference of $97 compared to loan payments. In Q1 2019, leasing was down slightly year-over-year, but still accounted for 29.07 percent of all vehicle financing. On the other side of the affordability equation, beyond cost of vehicles, is concern around delinquencies: will consumers be able to make their payments in a timely manner? So far, so good. In Q1 2019, 30-day delinquencies saw an increase to 1.98 percent, up from 1.9 percent a year ago. That said, banks, credit unions and finance companies all saw slight decreases in 30-day delinquency rates, and 60-day delinquencies remained relatively stable at 0.68 percent year-over-year. It’s important to keep in mind that the 30-day delinquency rate is still well-below the high-water mark in Q1 2009 (2.81 percent). The vehicle finance market appears to remain strong overall, despite rising vehicle costs, loan amounts and monthly payments. Expect consumers to continue to find ways to minimize monthly payments. This could continue the shift into used vehicles. Overall, as long as delinquencies stay flat and vehicle sales don’t taper too badly, the auto finance market should stay on a positive course. To watch the full Q1 2019 State of the Automotive Finance Market webinar, click here.

There’s recently been a significant amount of discussion about the stability of the automotive finance industry. Many fear the increase in the volume of delinquent U.S. automotive loans may be an early stage harbinger of the downfall of the automotive industry. But, the fact is, that’s not entirely true. While we certainly want to keep a close eye on the volume of delinquent loans, it’s important to put these trends into context. We’ve seen a steady increase in the volume of outstanding loan balances for the past several years – though the growth has slowed the past few quarters. And while much of the increase is driven by higher loan amounts, it also means there’s been an overall higher volume of vehicle buyers leaning on automotive lenders to finance vehicles. In fact, findings from our Q4 2018 State of the Automotive Finance Market Report show 85.1 percent of all new vehicle purchases were financed in Q4 2018 – compare that to 81.4 percent in Q4 2010 and 78.2 percent in Q4 2006. Suffice it to say, more financed vehicles will undoubtedly lead to more delinquent loans. But that also means, there is a high volume of car buyers who continue to pay their automotive loans in a timely manner. Through Q4 2018, there were nearly 86 million automotive loans and leases that were in good standing. With a higher volume of automotive loans than in the past, we should pay close attention to the percentage of delinquent loans compared to the overall market and compare that to previous years. And when we examine findings from our report, the percentage of automotive loans and leases that were 30-days past due dropped from 2.36 percent to 2.32 percent compared to a year ago. When we look at loans and leases that were 60-days past due, the percentages are relatively stable (up slightly from 0.76 percent to 0.78 percent compared to a year ago). It’s worth noting, these percentages are well below the high-water mark set during Q4 2009 when 3.30 percent of loans were 30-days delinquent and 0.94 percent of loans were 60-days delinquent. But, while the rate of delinquency is down and/or relatively stable year-over-year, it has trended upward since Q4 2015 – we’ll want to stay close to these trends. That said, much of the increase in the percentage of 60-day delinquent automotive loans is a result of a higher percentage of deep subprime loans from previous years – high-risk originations that become delinquent often occur more than 16 months after the origination. Additionally, the percentage of deep subprime originations has steadily decreased over the past two years, which could lead to a positive impact on the percentage of delinquent automotive loans. Despite rising automotive loan amounts and monthly payments, the data shows consumers appear to be making their payments on-time – an encouraging sign for automotive lenders. That said, lenders will want to continue to keep a close eye on all facets of car buyers’ payment performance moving forward – but it is important to put it into context. A clear understanding of these trends will better position lenders to make the right decisions when analyzing risk and provide consumers with comprehensive automotive financing options. To learn more about the State of the Automotive Finance Market report, or to watch the webinar, click here.    

Like every other industry, the automotive market is driven by consumer preferences and behavior. While there are a myriad of options to choose from, fuel-type seems to dominate media headlines as a hot topic of conversation among industry pundits and consumers, alike. Little surprise then that alternative fuel vehicles, which include diesels and hybrids, have maintained a steady demand over the past few years. But, there’s a specific segment that’s beginning to emerge. As we detailed in our earlier blog series, electric vehicles (EVs) are began to stand out as a prominent alternative fuel vehicle. And during Q3 2018, we saw more of the same. EVs held 1.8 percent share of total vehicle registrations. While that number may seem small, consider this.  Just two years ago, in 2016, EVs comprised only 0.5 percent of registrations, growing at a much slower pace since 2014, when it was 0.4 percent. It’s worth noting that gasoline-powered cars still dominate the market, making up 92.9 percent of registered vehicles through Q3 2018. But, the demand for alternative fuel type options should not be underestimated. Alternative fuel vehicles are becoming a significant segment in today’s auto market, and the large growth in EVs are a testament to that growth. While EVs are proving to be a popular option compared to other alternative fuel types, other options remained steady. Diesel vehicles maintained 2.8 percent of the market year-over-year, while hybrid vehicles saw a slight increase since 2017, growing from 2.6 to 2.8 percent of the market. A picture of the alternative fuel buyer So, who’s investing in these alternative fuel vehicles? We see that most buyers tend to be married, single family home owners with a college education, and belong to either the Baby Boomer generation or Gen X. It’s interesting to note that EVs make up a notable percentage of registrations of alternative fuel type preferences across generational car buyers, according to Q3 registration data. Among Baby Boomers, EVs fall second to hybrids, accounting for 1.0 percent of registered alternative fuel type vehicles compared to 1.2 percent respectively. But, EVs made up the biggest share of alternative fuel type registrations among Millennials (1.1 percent) and Gen X’ers (1.2 percent). With the number of vehicle options available on the market today, EVs stand out as a segment to watch within the auto industry. There’s a greater story beyond the numbers and understanding how to leverage the data at hand can provide the industry with a greater understanding of the EV market and its potential. To learn more about the electric vehicle market and other alternative fuel type vehicles, view the full Q3 2018 Automotive Market Trends Analysis webinar.

Vehicle prices are going up, yet consumers seem unfazed. Despite consumers taking out larger loan amounts, they continue to make their monthly payments on time. But, affordability remains a point of industry interest.  As vehicle prices hit record highs, how long will consumers have an appetite for them? According to Experian’s latest State of Automotive Finance Market report, delinquency rates continued a downward trend, as 30- and 60-day delinquencies were 2.11 and 0.64 percent, respectively, at the end of Q2. Those numbers demonstrate that car owners are making timely payments despite rising vehicle costs, which is an encouraging sign for the market. The average loan amount for a new vehicle is now $30,958, a $724 increase from last year. Additionally, consumers are now making monthly payments of about $525 on a new car loan, an all-time high that has seen a $20 year over year increase. The auto market shows little to no sign of declining costs, but vehicles aren’t the only cost to consider – interest rates have increased by 56 basis points since last year.  When combined with the rising manufacturer costs, long-term affordability is a continued concern within the industry. The data points to consumers offsetting the expense by taking out longer loan terms. In Q2, the most common loan length was 72 months—which equates to six years—for both new and used financing. While this lowers the monthly payment, it leaves them subject to paying higher interest over time, as well as the potential for individuals to be upside down on their loan for a longer period of time. The key takeaway from this data is that costs continue to rise, but consumers appear to be doing a better job of managing their finances. This insight can help OEMs, dealers, and lenders make strategic decisions with a better understanding of consumer borrowing and credit habits, and think about how to make car ownership more inviting, through incentive or loyalty programs. For consumers, continuing to take steps to actively improve your credit score is one of the key ways to ensure that you’re able to negotiate the right deal when it comes to financing. Ultimately, for everyone involved, it comes down to leveraging the power of data to make more informed decisions, which can help make vehicle ownership more accessible and affordable. To learn more about the State of the Automotive Finance Market report, or to watch the webinar, click here.