According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2011-2015 depreciated by -2.4% in December. Cars overall saw depreciation of –2.7% versus trucks, which saw –2.3% depreciation. All vehicles are averaging a 12-month depreciation change of –17.3%.

In December, Compact Vans saw the largest drop in value at –6.1% on the month, the largest single-month drop of any segment over the last twelve months. Vehicles in this category include the Ford Transit Connect, Nissan NV 200, and Ram C/V. Vehicles in this segment finished December with an average segment price of $9,975, a -25.3% change from year-ago levels ($13,355).

Eight segments saw a monthly depreciation of –2.9% or greater, five of which were cars (Sub-Compact Car –3.5; Sporty Car –3.2%; Near Luxury Car –2.9%; Prestige Luxury Car –2.9%) and three were trucks (Compact Van –6.1%; Minivan –3.2%; Midsize Luxury Utilities –2.9%).

Sub-Compact Luxury CUVs saw the strongest retention during December at –0.3%. Vehicles in this segment include the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Infiniti QX30, and the Mini Cooper Countryman. Vehicles in this segment finished December with an average price of $19,133, a -21.4% change from year-ago levels ($24,345).

Seven of the top eight segments with the strongest retention were all trucks (Small Pickups at –0.9%; Full-Size Pickups at –1.4%; Compact Luxury Utilities at –2.0%; Full-Size Luxury Utilities at –2.1%; Full-Size Vans at –2.3%; and Sub-Compact Crossovers at –2.3%). Full-Size Cars saw the strongest retention of all car segments at –1.9%.

"The depreciation rates for all cars and trucks followed seasonal patterns with higher depreciation in Q4," said Anil Goyal, Senior Vice President of Automotive Valuation and Analytics. "That being said, with the spring season around the corner, it will be interesting to see if smaller cars experience higher levels of seasonality lift, especially with the recent bump in gas prices.”

About Black Book

Black Book^® is best known in the automotive industry for providing timely, independent and accurate vehicle pricing information, and is available to industry-qualified users through online subscription products, mobile applications and licensing agreements. A leading provider since 1955, Black Book has continuously evolved to ensure that it achieves its goal of delivering mission-critical information to its customers, along with the insight necessary to successfully buy, sell, and lend. Black Book data is published daily by National Auto Research, a division of Hearst Business media, and the company maintains offices in Georgia, Florida, and Maryland. For more information, please visit BlackBook.com or call 800.554.1026.