The Best States to Find Affordable Used Cars in 2025

• The median selling price for a used car in the U.S. today is $17,990, ranging from $7,995 in Delaware to $32,761 in Alaska.
• The typical used car in the U.S. has 94,717 miles, based on more than 37,000 listings,
• Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have the cheapest median used car prices.
• Alaska, Arizona, and Wyoming are the most expensive states to buy used cars.
• Used car prices correlated with mileage—higher prices were associated with lower-mileage vehicles.
• Montana has the most extensive inventory of used cars per capita, while Utah has the smallest.

The median selling price nationwide for a used vehicle is $17,990 based on analysis of 37,151 total car listings. Of course, the value of a used car varies greatly depending on how old it is and how much it’s been used, which is generally measured by the number of miles on the odometer. The condition of the car, including any damage, factors into the selling price as well.

For easier comparison, we’ve aggregated price data based on the mileage of the used cars that we analyzed and divided it into three categories:

• Low mileage vehicles (0-59k miles): $30,839 median price
• Medium mileage (60-119k miles): $19,514 median price
• High mileage (120k+ miles): $14,391 median price

The median mileage for used vehicles is 94,717 miles. Assuming that the average car owner drives 12,000 miles yearly makes the median car almost eight years old.

According to Kelley Blue Book, new cars depreciate around 30 percent over the first two years and around 8-12 percent every year after that. This means that on average, cars lose over half their value within the first five years of ownership. As a car ages, it loses value less quickly, which bears out in our findings.

The cost of used cars depends on various factors, including supply and demand, and the state of the local economy. One factor contributing to more affordable used car prices in the states below may be the share of pickup trucks — most of these states have relatively low rates of pickup trucks, which tend to be more expensive.²

Drivers living in one of these 10 states below or neighboring states are most likely to find a decent deal and won’t have to worry as much about transporting it a very long distance to where they live. The following are the top 10 most affordable states to buy a used car based on median selling price:

States with the lowest median used car prices

For those shopping for used cars out of state, transportation costs should be considered. Certain distances may be drivable, but you’ll have to consider the cost of traveling to the car if you plan to visit it in person and the cost of shipping it back home. Depending on the situation, these costs may outweigh the lower selling price of the vehicle.

Drivers should also remember that tax on new or used vehicles is paid in the state where the car is registered, not the state where the car is purchased. Buying a used car in a state with no sales tax, like Delaware, therefore offers no advantage if the buyer’s home state charges sales tax.

Overall, we found a correlation between mileage and the price of used cars. States like Delaware, Missouri, and New Jersey have lower median listing prices on used cars, but vehicles for sale in these states tended to have higher mileage, as shown on the scatterplot below. Drivers searching for a new ride should consider this and aim for a suitable balance between affordability and car condition.

Interestingly, several states with the lowest-priced cars have higher-than-average auto insurance rates, particularly for minimum coverage insurance. They include Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Missouri, and Michigan. Louisiana has much higher-than-average auto insurance rates for full and minimum coverage. Getting a used car can be a particularly savvy move for residents of these states to save on insurance premiums, as insuring new cars tends to cost more.

Used car prices tend to be higher in many Western and rural states due to geographic isolation, vehicle preferences, and limited local inventory. For example, Alaska and Hawaii see elevated prices because nearly all vehicles must be shipped in, adding significant transport costs that get passed on to buyers. Used cars in Hawaii, Alaska, and Utah also had lower median mileage than many other states, contributing to higher prices in those locations.

States with the highest median used car prices

Montana and New Hampshire, while offering appealing tax benefits like no sales tax on vehicle purchases, attract out-of-state buyers, driving up local demand and giving dealers room to raise prices. In Montana’s case, this includes a well-known practice of out-of-state buyers using LLCs to avoid taxes in their home states, further tightening inventory.

Meanwhile, states like Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota face high prices due to regional factors like rapid population growth (in Utah’s case), or vehicle preferences shaped by terrain and climate, where trucks and large SUVs dominate the market. As mentioned, these pricier vehicles make up a larger share of used inventory, pulling up average prices. Some states, such as South Dakota, are beginning to respond to unique pressures—in 2024, the state added a $100 fee for vehicle registrations by non-residents to address an influx of out-of-state registrations.³

In addition to median selling prices, inventory is another important metric to consider when trying to find a used car. Sometimes, more options may mean you can score a better price. You also may have an easier time finding the vehicle you want if you have a specific one in mind.

We looked at the number of used car listings per 100,000 residents to gauge states’ inventories. Most of the highest inventory markets are states with very low populations — most are in the top 10 least populated states, with Oregon being the exception. While many states also have the fewest motor vehicle registrations (again, Oregon is the exception), their small populations contribute to their high per-capita listings.

Highest inventory markets

The following four states (plus Washington, D.C.) have the most used car listings per capita in the country:

Limited inventory markets

Meanwhile, these five states have the least inventory per capita, which may make finding a used car more difficult.

Americans have long loved pickup trucks, and the Ford F-150 in particular has been the top-selling model in the U.S. for years.⁴ Considering the popularity of other models sold by the U.S.-based automaker, it makes sense that Ford leads in 45 out of 51 state used car markets we analyzed. It also comes in second in the other six markets.

There are a few regional variations, as Chevrolet is the most commonly used car brand in four states: Alaska, Illinois, South Carolina, and Vermont. Toyota is the most popular in Washington, D.C., and comes second in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia. Meanwhile, Honda only appears as the second most popular brand in Tennessee.

In addition to being popular vehicles in general, Fords, Chevrolets, Toyotas, and Hondas tend to retain their value more than other car makes,⁵ so it’s not surprising that many of them are being resold. Also unsurprisingly, California is the state with the most used Teslas for sale.

Car buyers looking for the best deal on a used car can employ various strategies to save money and make savvy financial decisions:

• Cross-border shopping: The median used car price in the cheapest and most expensive states differs by over $20,000, so buyers could save a significant amount by widening their search to include more states. Several states in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, in particular, tend to offer affordable used car options. Keep in mind that states with lower prices tend to have higher-mileage cars.
• Focus on high-inventory markets: Buyers should leverage high-inventory markets for better selection — a larger supply also generally means better prices.
• Factor in total cost of ownership: The car’s selling price is not the only cost to consider. The total cost of ownership also includes the sales tax, registration fee, and auto insurance, all depending on the state where you live, not where you buy.
• Get insurance quotes proactively: Before buying, get an idea of the insurance rate for your target vehicle in your home state. A cheaper car purchase might come with higher insurance premiums depending on state regulations and risk factors. If you have the VIN of a car you’re considering buying — or even just the year, make, and model — insurance companies can usually give you an estimated quote.

Insurance Considerations for Cross-State Purchases

When purchasing a used car from out of state, you’ll need to insure it like you would if you bought a car in-state. Assuming you’ll be garaging and driving it in the state where you reside, you’ll need to follow that state’s insurance requirements and minimum coverage laws, not those of the state where you purchase the car.

The rate you pay will vary based on factors like whether you live in an area with high traffic density, a high theft rate, or significant weather-related risks. It will also depend on the brand and model of your vehicle, so it’s key to consider the ongoing cost of insurance before settling on a particular car purchase.

Finally, different states have different regulations regarding registering your new car and adding it to your insurance policy. Once again, drivers will need to follow the requirements of their home state in this regard. You may have a grace period to complete these tasks, or you may need to register and insure your vehicle before driving it back home.

Researchers used a web scraping program to collect all car listing results for the query ‘used car’ from all Craigslist subdomains in all 50 states and D.C. Data collection was performed between April 28 and May 5, 2025.

The text of the listings was cleaned, and duplicate listings were removed. The cleaned listing texts were given to GPT-4.1 to determine relevancy, only keeping listings selling used consumer automobiles. This yielded a total of 37,151 unique used car listings across the United States for that week. The state, price, number of miles, manufacturer, and miles per gallon were extracted from each listing and analyzed for typical prices and market conditions shown in the report.

A non-linear regression using terms for the inverse and logarithm of mileage was fitted to capture the relationship between mileage and price nationally and within each state. The average value of the resulting function over the mileage range of each bucket was used to define the expected cost for that bucket in each state.