Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Wholesale Optimism: Used Vehicle Prices Up 5.74% in May

According to Manheim, wholesale used vehicle prices increased 5.74% in the first 15 days of May compared to the month of April. New and used retail vehicle sales show substantial gains from March’s free fall.

May 20, 2020
Wholesale Optimism: Used Vehicle Prices Up 5.74% in May

Over the first 15 days of May, MMR Retention, which is the average difference in price relative to current MMR, was above 100% for all but one day and averaged above 101%.

Photo: Eric Gandarilla

2 min to read


Wholesale used vehicle prices (on a mix-, mileage-, and seasonally adjusted basis) increased 5.74% comparing the first 15 days of May to the month of April, according to data published by Manheim today.

This brought the mid-month Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index to 133.0, a 4.8% decrease from May 2019.

Ad Loading...

Manheim Market Report (MMR) prices improved over the last two weeks, resulting in a 2.1% cumulative increase in the first two weeks of May on the Three-Year-Old Index. Over the first 15 days of May, MMR Retention, which is the average difference in price relative to current MMR, was above 100% for all but one day and averaged above 101%. 

The MMR Retention trend reflected that vehicles were selling above current MMR values and was a clear reversal of what happened in late March and April.

On a year-over-year basis, all major market segments saw seasonally adjusted price declines in the first 15 days of May. Luxury cars outperformed the overall market, while most other major segments underperformed the overall market.

Meanwhile, new and used retail vehicle sales are showing substantial improvement: 

Cox Automotive’s DealerTrack transaction volumes show new retail vehicle sales down 31% year-over-year in the seven-day period ending Thursday, May 14. However, this was an improvement from the 71% year-over-year decline in the final week of March. 

Ad Loading...

Used retail vehicle sales were down 6% year-over-year on Thursday, which was an improvement from the 67% year-over-year decline at the end of March.

As used retail sales have started to recover, both retail and wholesale supply are coming down. Retail supply peaked in early April and was down below normal as of May 15. Wholesale supply has also come down dramatically but remained about twice the normal level as of May 15.

The average price for rental risk units sold at auction in the first 15 days of May was down 8% year-over-year. Rental risk prices were up 4% compared to April. Average mileage for rental risk units in May (at 48,300 miles) was up 7% compared to a year ago and down 6% month-over-month. 

More Remarketing

A temple scene from Okinawa, Japan.

Surprice Opens Two Rental Branches In Japan

The launch highlights the global car rental operation’s growing presence in Asia.

Read More →
Blue bar graphs showing a rise in used vehicle categories across the board.
Remarketingby News/Media ReleaseMarch 6, 2026

Wholesale Used Vehicle Prices Up In February

Solid demand at Manheim auctions with higher sales conversion rates indicate an appetite from dealers to buy.

Read More →
Green and black bar graphs showing YOY shifts in February fleet sales.
Fleet Acquisitionby Martin RomjueMarch 5, 2026

Rental Fleet Sales Slow In February Ending A Strong Streak

Commercial fleets posted the most gains, sustaining increases in monthly and year-to-date fleet sales

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Rental cars lined up in front of an Avis-Budget storefront outlet.
Rental Operationsby News/Media ReleaseFebruary 20, 2026

Avis Budget Group Reports Near $1 Billion Loss Tied To 2025 EV Fleet Write-Down

Following Hertz, the company is the second global car rental conglomerate to sustain sizable losses due to lower customer demand and usage of electric rental cars.

Read More →
An orange and purple bar graph shows average rental car prices and mileage levels from October 2024 to October 2025.
RemarketingJanuary 16, 2026

2025 Rental Vehicle Remarketing Summary And Outlook

The year brought modest and flatter results across wholesale values, total off-rental supply, and rental risk units.

Read More →
AuctionNet summary table of Dec. 25 auction vehicle sales with three columns.
Fleet Acquisitionby News/Media ReleaseJanuary 13, 2026

Auctions Record Highest Vehicle Sales Since 2019

2025 figures show a steady recovery in wholesale vehicle activity this decade.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A black CUV tilted downward on stacks of descending gold coins.
Rental Operationsby News/Media ReleaseDecember 29, 2025

DriveItAway Holdings, Free2move Launch Operations In Nine Cities

The co-branded program with Stellantis’ mobility division scales up leasing and financing options nationwide with more cities to come online in 2026.

Read More →
An import duties stamp and stamper superimposed on a flat American flag.
Remarketingby Martin RomjueDecember 26, 2025

Tariffs, Digital Tech, Industry Stats Among Top 10 Remarketing Topics for 2025

The annual look at most-consumed vehicle remarketing content shows what audiences think mattered the most in the mid-decade year.

Read More →
A multicolored row of vertical bar graphs showing the U.S. car rental industry's total revenue, fleet vehicle purchases, and rental cars in service 2015-2025.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueDecember 22, 2025

U.S. Car Rental Revenue Crosses $40 Billion

A modest rise in rental car usage and an increase in fleet purchases kept the industry on a steady upward path at mid-decade.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Summary list of U.S. wholesale vehicle auction activity for November 2025.
Remarketingby News/Media ReleaseDecember 10, 2025

Commercial Vehicles Drive November Wholesale Auction Sales

Much of the increase came from rental fleets remarketing large amounts of 2-year-old cars.

Read More →
Ad Loading...