Facts are technically correct but framed in a way that likely leads to a wrong impression. Learn more in Methodology.
Confirm that the latest CPI or other price index shows declining vehicle prices for the referenced period and that U.S. auto sales data indicate the highest sales since 2019.
Available data support that U.S. automakers had their strongest sales year since 2019 in 2025, but do not support the broad claim that vehicle prices "continue to decline" or that cars have generally become more affordable.
Industry and media analyses (e.g., Reuters, USA Today citing Omdia/J.D. Power and others) report U.S. new-vehicle sales of about 16.2 million in 2025, a 2–2.4% increase from 2024 and explicitly describe 2025 as the strongest or best U.S. auto sales year since 2019. However, the latest Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the "new vehicles" price index up 0.3% year‑over‑year and "used cars and trucks" up 1.6% as of December 2025; monthly data for 2025 show new‑vehicle prices essentially flat to slightly rising for much of the year rather than in a continued decline. Industry affordability metrics from Cox Automotive/Moody’s Analytics indicate that the average new-vehicle transaction price hit a record high in 2025 before edging down slightly, and their Vehicle Affordability Index finds that new‑vehicle affordability worsened again by October 2025 as payments and weeks of income required rose, even though prices dipped marginally from a peak.
Thus, while it is accurate that 2025 was the best U.S. auto sales year since 2019, the assertion that vehicle prices "continue to decline" and that cars have broadly "become more affordable" is not supported by the official price and affordability data; prices are near record levels and affordability remains historically strained. The verdict is Misleading because one part of the statement (best sales year since 2019) is correct but is combined with an overgeneralized and inaccurate portrayal of price declines and improved affordability.