Used cars under $20,000 are getting harder to find

Used cars under $20,000 made up half the market in 2019. A new iSeeCars study of over 2.6 million 3-year-old used cars found that vehicles priced under $20,000 made up just 11.5% of the market in 2025. The shift traces back to pandemic-era production cuts that thinned out the used car supply now hitting dealer lots. Used car prices have also been rising for three straight months, with no sign of a correction. According to Brauer, the change in pricing greatly limited access to newer used cars for those with a $20,000 budget.