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20 New Cars Selling Over Sticker Price

Heading into the historically-hot-car-shopping Labor Day Weekend, buyers may be surprised to find themselves paying over sticker price for some of the most popular vehicles right now, according to a recent report from Autotrader. The laws of supply and demand are clearly at play in the current car-shopping environment, as the global microchip shortage and resulting automaker production delays continue to affect dealer inventories.

Several popular, hard-to-find models currently have even harder to find deals, and )buyers are paying well over manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) as a result. After examining the latest data, Autotrader recently named the Toughest Twenty: 20 new vehicles consistently selling above full retail price.

“Many car shoppers are in for a surprise right now – if they can find the model they are looking for at the dealership, they may have to pay more for it than expected,” said Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. “In these unusual times, Autotrader’s consistent advice for deal-hunting car shoppers is to look for a sedan, hatchback or wagon. On the flip side, SUVs, trucks and even minivans are very popular right now, and they are in low supply. Chances are high that shoppers will have to pay more for the exact vehicle they want.”

While some vehicles on Autotrader’s Toughest Twenty list hail from luxury automakers for which buyers may expect to pay a premium, most of the vehicles are from mainstream/non-luxury manufacturers. Retail prices on these vehicles can range from under $15,000 to well over $100,000, so the possibility of paying above sticker price is an equal opportunity regardless of budget or spending power.

Autotrader’s Toughest Twenty:  20 New Vehicles Consistently Selling Above Full Retail Price

Rank

Vehicle

Vehicle Category

Average Transaction Price

1

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Luxury SUV

118% of MSRP

2

Kia Telluride

Midsize SUV

108% of MSRP

3

Kia Carnival

Minivan

107% of MSRP

4

Hyundai Palisade

Midsize SUV

105% of MSRP

5

Honda Ridgeline

Midsize Truck

105% of MSRP

6

Land Rover Defender

Luxury SUV

105% of MSRP

7

Honda CR-V

Compact SUV

105% of MSRP

8

Cadillac Escalade

Luxury SUV

104% of MSRP

9

Nissan Versa

Subcompact Car

103% of MSRP

10

Honda Odyssey

Minivan

103% of MSRP

11

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Luxury SUV

103% of MSRP

12

Nissan Kicks

Subcompact SUV

103% of MSRP

13

Subaru WRX

Compact Car

102% of MSRP

14

Ford Bronco

Midsize SUV

102% of MSRP

15

Chevrolet Corvette

Sports Car

102% of MSRP

16

Toyota Tacoma

Midsize Truck

102% of MSRP

17

Toyota Tundra

Full-Size Truck

101% of MSRP

18

Jeep Wrangler

Midsize SUV

101% of MSRP

19

GMC Yukon XL

Full-Size SUV

101% of MSRP

20

Chevrolet Bolt EUV

Electric Crossover

100.5% of MSRP

To create the list of the Toughest Twenty, Autotrader examined Average Transaction Prices (ATP) to measure the pricing increases. ATP is a measure of the selling price in a deal versus the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). The vehicles listed also have very low incentives, which usually is a sign that the vehicle is in high demand. In addition, nearly every vehicle listed has a low “days supply” – essentially, the number of days an average dealership could keep selling a given model without running out, assuming no new shipments are coming. Most vehicles on the list have less than a 30 days supply, except the Nissan Versa, Nissan Kicks, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Bolt.