Automotive Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

September Depreciation Flat, Truck Segments Show Strength

Used vehicles sold at auction declined 1.5% in value in September — a depreciation pace relatively unchanged from August — in a month that saw relative strength in some truck segments and compact cars continue their slide, according to Black Book.

by Staff
October 12, 2015
September Depreciation Flat, Truck Segments Show Strength

Photo of 2014 Ram 1500 courtesy of FCA US.

2 min to read


Photo of 2014 Ram 1500 courtesy of FCA US.

Used vehicles sold at auction declined 1.5% in value in September — a pace of depreciation relatively unchanged from August — in a month that saw relative strength in some truck segments and compact cars continue their slide, according to Black Book.

Vehicles from the 2010 to 2014 model years should close out 2015 with depreciation near 14%, which falls in line with the pre-recession range of 15% to 18% per year.

Ad Loading...

In September, compact cars led all vehicle categories with the highest depreciation at 3.7% in a category that includes the Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet Cruze, Dodge Dart, Ford C-Max, and Ford Focus. The category fell 16.9% to $8,923 from a year ago.

Truck categories bolstered the month, including full-size SUVs and full-size passenger vans, which tied for the lowest depreciation of 0.5%. Full-size SUVs such as the Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, Dodge Durango, and Ford Expedition fell 3.7% to $26,512 from a year ago.

Other categories showing relative strength included full-size pickups, mid-size pickups, and mid-size SUVs. These categories fell 0.6% to $24,064, 0.6% $16,763, and 0.8% to $21,850 from August respectively.

Other notable trends include compact pickups having the lowest 12-month moving depreciation average of 2.9%, which is a lower price drop than compact cars over the past 30 days.

Premium sporty cars fell 1.2% on the month and led car segments with the lowest depreciation. This segment includes the Audi R8, BMW 6 Series, Cadillac XLR, Dodge Viper, and the Mercedes-Benz CL Class. This segment fell 14.2% from a year ago to $43,253.

Ad Loading...

"Overall vehicle depreciation continues to hold up well, especially as we near the part of the year where heavier price drops are typically expected," said Anil Goyal, Black Book's vice president of automotive valuation and analytics. "It's very telling of the disparity between cars and trucks to see that we have some truck segments showing lower annual depreciation than what cars are seeing on a monthly level."

More Remarketing

collage of conference speakers
Remarketingby Chris BrownApril 30, 2026

CAR 2026 Recap Part 2: Closing the Gap Between Data & Remarketing Value

The second half of CAR 2026 examined how fleets can translate lifecycle strategy, vehicle data, and market shifts into higher real-world results.

Read More →
Collage of CAR speakers
Remarketingby Chris BrownApril 27, 2026

CAR2026 in Two Words: Velocity, Value (Part 1)

The 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing convened with a mandate to involve a new constituency — fleet managers — and an updated mission to demonstrate unrealized value in de-fleeted vehicles.

Read More →
Johan Verbois, executive director of CARA, stands outdoors in a blue blazer with arms crossed, with blurred vehicles and greenery in the background.
Remarketingby News/Media ReleaseApril 27, 2026

CARA Appoints Johan Verbois as Executive Director

CARA recently opened up a part-time executive director position and appointed Johan Verbois for the role.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Fleet Remarketing Association temp logo
Remarketingby Chris BrownApril 20, 2026

Launch of Fleet Remarketing Association Signals New Era for Vehicle Lifecycle Value and Data Stewardship

The Association, dedicated to advancing the remarketing phase of the vehicle lifecycle, held its kick-off meeting on April 16 at the 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing (CAR) in Cleveland.

Read More →
Line comparisons of used vehicle inventory set in different colors.
Remarketingby News/Media ReleaseApril 20, 2026

March Used Vehicle Inventory Falls To Lowest Since 2019

Franchised and independent dealers had a total of 1.95 million used vehicles in stock in March, the lowest on record in the current data set.

Read More →
 A white Polestar 3 with all doors and trunk lid open while on display at an EV sales event.
Remarketingby News/Media ReleaseApril 7, 2026

Spring Bounce Pushes Q1 Used Vehicle Values Higher

Demand signals remain strong at auctions, with sales conversions, a clear sign of demand, reaching 68.2% in the most recent measure.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Graphic promoting CAR 2026 roundtables featuring headshots of five speakers and topics including Wall Street trends, fleet data, upfits, fair market value, and AI in remarketing.
Remarketingby Chris BrownMarch 31, 2026

CAR 2026: Get the Wall Street Update on the Key Players in Remarketing

From a Wall Street analyst's take on remarketing's key players to whether fleets need their own version of Carfax, CAR 2026's afternoon roundtables will answer key operational and industry questions.

Read More →
Promotional graphic for CAR 2026 panel on data-driven value in commercial vehicles, featuring five industry experts and session details for April 16 in Cleveland.
Remarketingby Chris BrownMarch 31, 2026

CAR 2026 Session to Uncover the Missing Data That's Costing Fleets at Disposal

Work trucks lose value at remarketing, not because they aren't worth more, but because the data to prove it rarely makes it to the auction.

Read More →
Graphic promoting a CAR 2026 conference session showing four speaker headshots above the title “What Really Moves Vehicle Value Now — And What Doesn’t” with automotive conference branding
Remarketingby Chris BrownMarch 11, 2026

CAR 2026: What Really Moves Vehicle Value Now — And What Doesn’t

A panel at the 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing will examine how resale value is created across the vehicle lifecycle and which traditional remarketing practices still deliver ROI.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Blue bar graphs showing a rise in used vehicle categories across the board.
Remarketingby News/Media ReleaseMarch 6, 2026

Wholesale Used Vehicle Prices Up In February

Solid demand at Manheim auctions with higher sales conversion rates indicate an appetite from dealers to buy.

Read More →