The Claim

Oversaw price declines for both new and used vehicles.

The Claim, Unpacked

What is literally being asserted?

Two things: (1) the prices of new vehicles declined during this administration, and (2) the prices of used vehicles declined during this administration. The word “oversaw” implies presidential agency — that the administration’s policies contributed to or enabled these declines.

What is being implied but not asserted?

That the administration made cars more affordable for Americans. That whatever policies were enacted — tariff regime, fuel economy rollback, deregulation — translated into lower sticker prices. That the vehicle market improved for consumers under this presidency.

What is conspicuously absent?

Any mention that the BLS Consumer Price Index for new vehicles was essentially flat-to-rising during 2025, not declining. Any mention that the CPI for used cars and trucks was higher year-over-year in every single month of 2025. Any mention that the Kelley Blue Book average transaction price for new vehicles hit an all-time high of $50,326 in December 2025. Any mention that the 25% tariff on imported automobiles, imposed in 2025, put upward pressure on vehicle prices — with Cox Automotive estimating an average $5,700 increase on imported vehicles. Any mention that any price declines in new vehicle CPI occurred in 2024 under the prior administration, and the index actually rose during 2025. Any mention that vehicles priced above $75,000 outsold those below $30,000 in November 2025, reflecting an increasingly unaffordable market for working Americans.

Evidence Assessment

Established Facts

The BLS Consumer Price Index for new vehicles did not decline during 2025. The CPI new vehicles index (CUUR0000SETA01) stood at 178.008 in January 2025 and 178.034 in December 2025 — essentially flat with a marginal 0.01% increase. The 2025 annual average of approximately 178.46 was higher than the 2024 annual average of approximately 177.87. Whatever new vehicle price decline occurred in the CPI happened during 2024, when the index fell from 178.595 (January) to 177.162 (October) — under the Biden administration. The index had already begun rising again before Trump took office (177.472 in November, 177.552 in December 2024). [^101-a1]

The BLS Consumer Price Index for used cars and trucks rose year-over-year in every single month of 2025. The CPI used vehicles index (CUUR0000SETA02) went from 181.265 in January 2025 to a peak of 188.960 in August 2025 before declining to 183.265 in December 2025. Year-over-year increases ranged from +0.58% (March) to +6.04% (August). In no month of 2025 was the used vehicle CPI lower than the same month in 2024. The used vehicle CPI only fell below year-ago levels in January 2026 (-0.95%) and February 2026 (-3.20%) — after the claim was published. [^101-a2]

The Kelley Blue Book average transaction price for new vehicles hit an all-time record in December 2025. KBB reported the average new-vehicle ATP at $50,326 in December 2025, an all-time high, up 0.8% year-over-year. November 2025 ATP was $49,814, up 1.3% year-over-year. By February 2026, ATP had risen to $49,353 with year-over-year gains accelerating to 3.4%. Cox Automotive’s own executive analyst stated in November 2025: “Our average price for a new vehicle in the U.S. is holding near $50,000 and showing no signs of coming down.” [^101-a3]

The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index showed wholesale used vehicle prices rising year-over-year. The Manheim index stood at 206.0 in mid-December 2025, up 0.6% year-over-year. This measures wholesale auction prices — the prices dealers pay — which flow through to retail used vehicle prices. Even at the wholesale level, used vehicle prices were not declining. [^101-a4]

The administration’s own 25% tariff on imported automobiles created upward pressure on vehicle prices. Announced in March 2025 under Section 232, the tariff applied to imported vehicles and auto parts. Cox Automotive estimated the tariff could add an average of $5,700 to vehicles imported from outside North America and $1,000+ to domestically assembled vehicles using imported parts. While manufacturers absorbed much of the cost in 2025, the tariff created structural upward pressure on the very prices this claim says declined. [^101-a5]

Strong Inferences

The claim may be conflating a narrow CPI technicality with consumer reality. The CPI new vehicles index fell approximately 0.33% year-over-year when comparing January 2025 to January 2024 — a brief window when the index was marginally below its year-prior level. But CPI measures quality-adjusted prices, not what consumers actually pay. By every measure of what consumers actually spend — average transaction prices, MSRPs, monthly payments — Americans paid more for new vehicles in 2025 than in 2024. The CPI’s hedonic quality adjustments can produce small declines even as sticker prices rise, creating a gap between the government statistic and consumer experience. [^101-a6]

Any vehicle price normalization that occurred was a continuation of post-pandemic trends, not a policy achievement. Vehicle prices surged during 2021-2022 due to the semiconductor shortage and pandemic-disrupted supply chains. The CPI new vehicles index peaked at 179.750 in September 2023 and the used vehicles index peaked at 213.683 in July 2022. The subsequent normalization — which occurred primarily in 2023 and 2024 — was driven by supply chain recovery, increased production, and cooling demand. This process was well underway before this administration took office. [^101-a7]

What the Evidence Shows

The claim that this administration “oversaw price declines for both new and used vehicles” is contradicted by the government’s own data. The BLS Consumer Price Index for new vehicles was flat-to-marginally-higher during 2025. The CPI for used vehicles was higher year-over-year in every single month of 2025. The average transaction price consumers actually paid for a new vehicle hit an all-time record of $50,326 in December 2025. At no point during this administration’s first year did any standard measure show both new and used vehicle prices declining simultaneously.

The real vehicle price story of 2025 is one of tariff-induced distortion. The 25% tariff on imported automobiles pushed buyers into the market early (the “front-loading” effect documented by Cox Automotive), which inflated demand and prices — particularly for used vehicles. Manufacturers absorbed some tariff costs, but the CPI still did not decline. Meanwhile, the actual dollar amount Americans spent on new vehicles continued to climb, reaching record territory.

The only favorable data point for this claim is a narrow window in early 2025 when the new vehicle CPI was fractionally below its year-prior level (about 0.3%). But this reflected price declines that occurred during 2024 under Biden, and the gap had closed by mid-year as the CPI reversed course. For used vehicles, there is no favorable window at all during 2025 — prices were higher year-over-year every single month.

The Bottom Line

This claim is false. The BLS data — the government’s own standard measure of consumer prices — shows that used vehicle prices increased year-over-year throughout the entirety of 2025. New vehicle prices were essentially flat, not declining, and the Kelley Blue Book average transaction price hit an all-time record of $50,326 in December 2025. The only vehicle price declines that occurred in the CPI happened in 2024, under the prior administration, as the pandemic-era supply chain disruption resolved. The administration’s own tariff policy created upward pressure on vehicle prices, the opposite of a decline. This is not a case of misleading framing or misattribution — the factual predicate is wrong.