The best time of year to buy a car

Some months — and days — are better than others

Illustrative collage of a toy car, and a man looking at a calendar flashing past.
As President Trump's plans for tariffs remain in flux, the auto industry does too
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

A car is one of the biggest purchases that many people make. With a price tag generally in the tens of thousands of dollars, any bit of savings can make a difference. Of course, you can score savings by choosing to buy used over new, or opting for a different model or one with fewer features. But another — perhaps less obvious — way to help make your car purchase a little more affordable is to take timing into consideration.

As it turns out, everything from the month of the year to the day of the week can affect how much you ultimately end up paying for a new set of wheels. The overall economic climate in a given year can also influence pricing, especially when looming uncertainty over tariffs and interest rates enters the equation.

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Becca Stanek, The Week US

Becca Stanek has worked as an editor and writer in the personal finance space since 2017. She previously served as a deputy editor and later a managing editor overseeing investing and savings content at LendingTree and as an editor at the financial startup SmartAsset, where she focused on retirement- and financial-adviser-related content. Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.