The latest car-buying trends among Canadians

Canada’s used-vehicle market continued to show strong demand for pickups and popular SUVs in June, while smaller, value-oriented vehicles spent the least amount of time on dealer lots, according to the latest sales, inventory and pricing data from CarGurus.

The company’s June analysis suggests consumers remain highly focused on value as affordability pressures persist, helping drive demand for both mainstream used trucks and economical compact vehicles.

“One of the clearest trends in the June data is that many of the biggest sales gains came from some of the most popular nameplates in Canada,” said David Undercoffler, head of consumer insights at CarGurus. “As prices for new versions of these vehicles continue to rise, more shoppers are turning to the used market.”

Among vehicles with at least 1,500 sales during the month, the Ford F-150 remained Canada’s top-selling used vehicle, posting a 12.5 per cent year-over-year increase. Other strong performers included:

• Nissan Rogue: up 50.6 per cent
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500: up 29.3 per cent
• GMC Sierra 1500: up 29.0 per cent
• Toyota RAV4: up 18.1 per cent
• Hyundai Elantra: up 15.3 per cent
• Ford F-150: up 12.5 per cent
• Ford Escape: up 9.1 per cent
• RAM 1500: up 8.4 per cent
• Honda CR-V: up 3.4 per cent
• Honda Civic: up 2.2 per cent

CarGurus also tracked which used vehicles moved off dealer lots the fastest.

The Honda Fit led the list at an average of 30.3 days on market, followed by the Toyota Yaris, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Nissan Frontier.

The 10 fastest-selling models in June all averaged fewer than 38 days on dealer lots.

“With the exception of the GMC Sierra 2500HD, none were particularly large or expensive vehicles,” Undercoffler said. “Canadian buyers are acting quickly when affordable, economical options become available.”

Other fast-moving vehicles included the Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota Venza, Mazda CX-5, Toyota Corolla Cross and Toyota RAV4.

Price declines

CarGurus’ first-half pricing analysis showed significant price swings across different vehicle segments.

Among the largest declines from January through June were several luxury sedans and discontinued nameplates:

• Audi A5 Sportback: down 17.0 per cent to $31,346
• Acura TLX: down 16.9 per cent to $23,345
• Jeep Patriot: down 16.0 per cent to $8,496
• Infiniti Q50: down 15.5 per cent to $24,527
• GMC Savana Cargo: down 13.6 per cent to $26,857
• Infiniti QX60: down 13.5 per cent to $30,601
• Chrysler 300: down 13.4 per cent to $21,574
• Kia Sedona: down 13.3 per cent to $15,539
• Jaguar F-PACE: down 13.0 per cent to $35,483
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio: down 12.7 per cent to $31,629

Notable price increases

While many luxury models declined, several EVs and large SUVs posted some of the strongest price gains during the first half of the year.

Leading the increases was the Nissan Armada, which rose 25.6 per cent to an average listing price of $54,867.

Other notable gainers included:

• Audi A5: up 17.5 per cent
• Hyundai Kona Electric: up 14.1 per cent
• Lincoln Navigator: up 13.1 per cent
• Audi S5: up 12.6 per cent
• Land Rover Range Rover: up 11.8 per cent
• Ford Expedition: up 11.4 per cent
• Nissan Leaf: up 10.4 per cent
• Volkswagen Jetta: up 9.4 per cent
• Porsche 911: up 8.4 per cent

“The first-half pricing data shows gains across very different vehicle segments,” Undercoffler said. “Used EVs and large SUVs both moved higher, while many of the biggest declines were among discontinued nameplates where fewer newer models are entering the used market.”

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