09.03.2026
CBB Used Vehicle Retention Index Decreases Marginally in August
Index Decreased 0.4 points
Canadian Black Book today released its Used Vehicle Retention Index for August 2026, which sits at 127.5 points compared to 127.9 in July. Year-over-year, the Index decreased by 7.6%.
Click here to obtain a copy of the Index.
“Five years ago, the August Retention Index was at essentially the same level as it is today. However, the market today does not have the same expectation of increasing vehicle values that we saw then. Depreciation continues, and the Index has declined approximately 4.5% since the beginning of the year.
For the remainder of the year, market performance will be compared with the second half of 2025, when the market declined by approximately 4%. With new-vehicle sales up more than 5% for the month, the year-over-year comparisons are particularly favorable. We expect the decline in the Retention Index to be less severe this year, although downward pressure on used vehicle values is likely to continue.
Without a significant positive shift encouraging consumers toward new vehicles, we expect used vehicle values to remain under pressure. While the new-vehicle market may be showing more positive signs, it is important to keep the year-over-year comparisons in perspective,” said Daniel Ross, Director of Strategic Market Insights at Canadian Black Book.
The Canadian Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is calculated using CBB’s published Wholesale Average value on two to six-year-old used vehicles, as a percent of original typically equipped MSRP. It is weighted based on registration volume and adjusted for seasonality, vehicle age, mileage, and condition. The Index offers an accurate, representative, and unbiased view of the strength of today’s used vehicle market values. The Index dates to January 2005, when Canadian Black Book published a benchmark index value of 100.0 for the market.
ABOUT CANADIAN BLACK BOOK
For more than 60 years, Canadian Black Book has been the trusted and unbiased Canadian automotive industry source for vehicle values. Today the company has grown into a leading data provider of vehicle valuations, residual value forecast solutions, and VIN decoding. Canadian Black Book tools and information are considered ‘The Authority’ for vehicle values not only by car dealers and manufacturers but also the leasing, finance, insurance, and wholesale sectors. In 2020 Canadian Black Book brought to market its Enhance Vehicle Matching (EVM) solution, which will allow the industry to decode more consistently 17 digits VINs down to a specific trim package allowing a more precise vehicle valuation.
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