Used-Car Models That Are Now More Expensive Than They Were New

Car dealers are facing a supply crunch that’s sent used-car prices through the roof.
Some 2019 and 2020 cars are now cheaper to buy new, an analysis from iSeeCars found.
The Kia Telluride costs $3,564 more to buy used than new, the analysis found.
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Skipping a brand-new car for one that’s lightly used has always been the most wallet-friendly way to buy a car. Not anymore.

In the strange and sometimes utterly backward-seeming times we’re living in, it’s actually cheaper to buy some cars new rather than secondhand. A recent analysis from the automotive-research site iSeeCars.com identified 16 such vehicles, some of which cost thousands more to buy used.

The pandemic has led to a diminished supply of cars and outsized demand for them, sending used-vehicle prices through the roof. Amid financial uncertainty, people have been hanging on to their cars longer, choking a key pipeline of used cars to dealers. Meanwhile, a shortage of microchips has hampered car production globally and slashed the supply of new models.

iSeeCars.com’s analysis of some 470,000 2019- and 2020-model-year cars listed for sale in June found that the gap between used- and new-car prices had shrunk considerably in recent months. In early November, the average lightly used car cost nearly 11% less than its new counterpart. In June, that gap was just over 3%.

Some especially popular models — ones that are hard to find new right now — cost thousands more on the secondhand market. See the list of 16 vehicles below.