{"id":40892,"date":"2026-10-09T11:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autodurocher.com\/?p=40892"},"modified":"2026-10-05T10:51:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:51:37","slug":"used-vehicle-prices-are-dropping-is-it-finally-the-right-time-to-buy-in-quebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodurocher.com\/en\/2026\/10\/used-vehicle-prices-are-dropping-is-it-finally-the-right-time-to-buy-in-quebec\/","title":{"rendered":"Used Vehicle Prices Are Dropping: Is It Finally the Right Time to Buy in Quebec?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you been watching the market for months, waiting to find a vehicle that fits your budget? Fall 2026 might just be the moment you have been waiting for. After years of scarcity and record prices inherited from the pandemic, the numbers are finally telling a different story: used vehicle prices are coming down, inventory is building back up and interest rates have stopped climbing.<\/p>\n

But an average drop does not mean everything costs less, nor that waiting will always pay off. In this article, we look at what the 2026 data actually says, the segments where the bargains are, how the key interest rate affects your financing and the questions to ask yourself before deciding that now is the right time for you.<\/p>\n

What do the 2026 numbers say?<\/h2>\n

Canada’s two major price indexes point in the same direction. According to the AutoTrader price index, the average price of a used vehicle in Canada stood at $36,690<\/strong> in the second quarter of 2026, down 2.6%<\/strong> year over year. For its part, the CARFAX Canada analysis, based on transactions rather than listing prices, measured an annual decline of 2.3%<\/strong> in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

Two different methodologies, one conclusion: after the peak of the shortage years, the used vehicle market is easing. Make no mistake, this is not a collapse, only a gradual pullback of 2 to 3% year over year<\/strong>, while the supply of available vehicles has been building back up since the start of the year. More choice and prices that are slipping slightly: the combination works in the buyer’s favour.<\/p>\n

\"Used<\/p>\n

Quebec, one of the most affordable markets in the country<\/h2>\n

Good news for buyers here: both indexes also confirm that Quebec remains one of the most affordable places in Canada to shop for a used vehicle. AutoTrader puts the average Quebec price at $35,746<\/strong>, below the national average, while CARFAX Canada ranks Quebec among the provinces with the lowest prices in the country, just behind the Atlantic provinces.<\/p>\n

The gap with Ontario or Western Canada can represent several hundred, even a few thousand dollars for a comparable vehicle. Buying at home, in Quebec, is not only simpler for registration and warranty purposes: it is often better for your wallet too.<\/p>\n

Why are prices coming down?<\/h2>\n

There is nothing mysterious about it. During the new vehicle shortage of 2021 to 2023, many drivers turned to the used market, which pushed prices up. Since then, new vehicle production has returned to normal, leases signed during those years are gradually coming back onto the market and used inventory is rebuilding. The result: buyers are finding more attractive prices.<\/p>\n

Not all vehicles are dropping at the same pace<\/h2>\n

An average always hides gaps. According to CARFAX Canada data, passenger cars (sedans, compacts and subcompacts) have declined faster than the overall market, while SUVs and pickup trucks, still in high demand in Quebec, are holding up better. August data from CarGurus points the same way, with steeper declines among very common compact SUVs, while some pickups held steady or edged up slightly.<\/p>\n