
Auto financing trends are rising, according to Experian’s Q4 State of Auto Finance Market report.
Vehicle financing continues to reflect the impacts of the chip shortage, most notably, in sharp increases in average loan amounts and monthly payments. The average new vehicle loan amount increased 12% year-over-year, from $35,421 in Q4 2020 to $39,721 in Q4 2021. Used vehicle loans saw a more notable increase, jumping 20% year-over-year, from $22,630 to $27,291.
These increases were reflected in the average monthly payments as well. In Q4 2021, the average monthly payment for new vehicles reached $644, while the average used vehicle monthly payment jumped to $488, up from $579 and $417 a year ago, respectively. In addition to the chip shortage, another driving factor of these increases is consumers continuing to select larger vehicles, such as SUVs, which are more expensive. In Q4 2021, 59.43% of all new vehicle financing was for SUVs and Wagons. The shift to larger vehicles over the past few years has a trickle-down effect, as many of these larger vehicles are now reentering the market as used vehicles.
Delinquency rates saw a slight uptick in Q4 2021, as 30-day delinquencies increased from 1.81% to 1.86% from Q4 2020 to Q4 2021, while 60-day delinquencies increased from 0.64% to 0.66% in the same time frame. For fuller context of how the market is performing, the data shows that these rates are still lower than those of Q4 2019, when 30- and 60-day delinquencies were 2.42% and 0.83%, respectively.
“The increases we see in delinquencies are slight, so it’s important to consider that this is another sign that the market is continuing to return to pre-pandemic trends. However, the rates are still significantly under those of 2019, which is a positive sign, overall,” Zabritski continued. “Especially with the increases in average vehicle loan amounts and monthly payments we’ve seen over the last few quarters, this will be an important metric to monitor in the quarters to come.”
Additional findings for Q4 2021: