Monthly auto payments averaged $785 new and $544 used in Q2 data

Payments and amounts financed were higher

TransUnion's August 6 report lists an average monthly payment of $785 for new-vehicle loans in its Q2 table, up from $761 a year earlier. The used-vehicle average was $544, up from $529. TransUnion also says the averages have risen 38.7% for new vehicles and 39.6% for used vehicles since 2019.

Average amounts financed reached $44,421 for new vehicles and $27,633 for used vehicles. The corresponding Q2 2025 figures were $42,833 and $26,611. These figures describe originated-loan records in the underlying dataset rather than the price of every vehicle or the terms available to every borrower.

The reporting periods are not all the same

The report is labeled Q2 2026, but its payment and amount-financed figures come from Mobility Global AutoCreditInsight data available only through May. Originations are reported one quarter in arrears because of the reporting lag: TransUnion says Q1 originations increased 1.3% from a year earlier to 6.4 million.

The 79.3 million total auto-loan accounts and the delinquency measures describe the Q2 portfolio. They should not be read as June loan terms, a current lender offer, or a forecast for the rest of 2026.

Delinquency measures use different denominators

TransUnion reports that 1.33% of auto-loan accounts were at least 60 days past due, up two basis points from a year earlier. Its table separately shows 1.51% of consumers with an auto loan were at least 60 days past due, compared with 1.49% in Q2 2025.

Those portfolio rates describe different populations and do not predict whether a particular shopper will qualify for credit or have trouble repaying a loan.

Use the averages as a comparison prompt, not a target

• Compare the vehicle price, down payment, trade-in value, amount financed, APR, loan term, monthly payment, and total of payments.
• Get quotes from more than one lender before treating a dealer-arranged offer as the only option.
• Check whether a lower monthly payment comes from a longer term that increases total interest.
• Build insurance, registration, maintenance, fuel or charging, and repairs into the ownership budget.