You’ll need to bundle up when it’s the best time to buy a used car. On the other hand, those who wait for warmer weather might face extra sticker shock when they shop.
Recently, iSeeCars analyzed 40 million used car sales over both 2024 and 2025 to try to pin down the best time of year to get a “good deal.”
To qualify as a good deal, a vehicle’s purchase price must offer savings of at least 10% — or $2,689 — off the average used car price of $26,889.
On a typical day, you have a 13.7% chance of landing that type of markdown. But the odds of getting a bargain can increase significantly if you time your purchase well.
As a general rule, bargains heat up as the temperature falls. In a summary of iSeeCars’ findings, the company’s executive analyst Karl Brauer says:
“Consumers struggling to find a good deal on a used vehicle will have far more opportunities in the colder months. In general, used car prices follow the average temperature, with both falling between November and March and bottoming out between December 31 and February 28.”
Three winter holidays offer the best odds of snagging a deal. They are:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: 65.5% more deals than average
- New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day: 58.6%
- Presidents Day: 47%
By contrast, waiting for the weather to warm up can be a big mistake. Here are the four worst days for scoring a deal:
- July 4: 22.4% fewer deals than average
- Father’s Day: -19.7%
- Juneteenth: -19.7%
- Memorial Day: -18%
In the summary of the study findings, Brauer emphasizes that you can still find good deals in the summer months. So, if you need a car in August, don’t settle for taking the bus or train until the weather becomes chilly.
As Brauer says:
“Keep in mind, these figures only illustrate the likelihood of finding a good deal on a used car, with chances much higher in the winter and lower in the summer. But if you need to replace a car in the summer months you can still find a good deal — you’ll just have to work harder and use a site like iSeeCars to confirm true market pricing before buying.”
Here is the breakdown for each month of the year.
- January: 55.6% more deals than average
- February: 36.2%
- March: 6.3%
- April: -15%
- May: -22.2%
- June: -22.8%
- July: -22.1%
- August: -7.8%
- September: -3.2%
- October: 2.1%
- November: 5.8%
- December: 15.2%
If you end up buying a new ride, make sure to shop around for car insurance. There are now free online comparison tools that make it quick and easy to find the best rate.
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