From WIRED · Aarian Marshall · · 1m 40s
Used hybrids now cost more than new ones
As gas prices surge and EV sales fall, demand for hybrid cars is so strong that used 2026 Toyota Rav4s are selling above dealership prices.
In brief
As gas prices surge and EV sales fall, demand for hybrid cars is so strong that used 2026 Toyota Rav4s are selling above dealership prices. Used hybrid cars are selling for thousands above new prices as fuel costs spike and buyers flee electric vehicles, reversing normal car depreciation. Originally reported by WIRED.
Used Rav4s selling above new prices
Some used two thousand twenty-six Toyota Rav four s are listing for three thousand to six thousand dollars above brand-new dealership prices, according to CarGurus data.
Toyota dropped gas-powered Rav4 last year
The crossover SUV went all-hybrid after Toyota announced it would drop the gas-powered model from its lineup, creating unusual demand for the hybrid version.
Hybrid demand outpaces supply
Hybrid demand is so strong the Rav four is still in that twenty twenty-one world, says Kevin Roberts, director of economic and market intelligence at CarGurus. Toyota cannot make new models fast enough.
“Hybrid demand is so strong, the Rav4 is still in that 2021 world.”
Gas prices spike forty percent in a year
Nationally, a gallon costs an average of four dollars and forty cents, up forty percent from this time last year, according to AAA. Californians pay an average of six dollars and thirty-six cents.
EV sales collapse after tax credit cut
New EV sales are down by almost half from last year after the Trump administration cut a federal tax credit that made the often-expensive powertrains more affordable.
GM pivots to hybrids after EV stumble
General Motors said at the decade's start that forty percent of its twenty twenty-five lineup would be electric.That did not happen.
“We're not tone-deaf to our customers. We know what they want, and we want to give that to them as quickly as we can.”
What matters most
Used hybrid cars are selling for thousands above new prices as fuel costs spike and buyers flee electric vehicles, reversing normal car depreciation.
