06.03.2026
CBB Used Vehicle Retention Index Decreases Marginally in May
Index Decreased 1.1 points
Canadian Black Book today released its Used Vehicle Retention Index for May 2026, which sits at 129.7 points compared to 130.8 in April. Year-over-year, the Index decreased by 7.6%.
Click here to obtain a copy of the Index.
“The current market landscape continues to soften following modest spring demand. Consumers who are not yet ready to purchase electric vehicles appear to be delaying purchases, while both new and used vehicle demand undergo a broader market adjustment. A more cautious consumer environment is beginning to take hold, and increasing incentives designed to stimulate sales are adding further downward pressure to the wholesale market. Previous profit opportunities between wholesale and retail pricing are beginning to narrow, while rising fuel prices continue to weigh on the broader market. With month-over-month declines observed so far this year, there is an expectation that conditions will improve in the second half of 2026 as comparisons become more favorable against the weakening market environment experienced in 2025,” said Daniel Ross, Director of Strategic Market Insights at Canadian Black Book.
The Index peaked in March of 2022 at 165 Index points. Preceding the March peak was a run of unprecedented growth in used values beginning in the late summer of 2020, when the Index was as low as 100.5 points.
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, where the Canadian Black Book published a benchmark index value of 100.0 for the market.
ABOUT CANADIAN BLACK BOOK
For 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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