‘Time to buy’: Used car prices drop for the first time in over a year
Posted Oct 8, 2026 4:35 pm.
Used car prices are falling for the first time in more than a year, and Alberta is seeing the biggest decline in the country, according to new data.
Online used-car retailer Clutch reports the average price of a used vehicle in Alberta fell 3.5 per cent to $36,621 in August compared with the same month a year earlier.
For Calgary resident Roger al-Shara, the lower prices helped convince him it was finally the right time to buy. He said he initially noticed prices falling by $1,000 to $2,000 on comparable vehicles with similar mileage.
“I saw that it dropped almost $7,000 within the last three months, and I said time to buy, lock that in,” said al-Shara, who recently purchased a used vehicle.
When comparing the exact same vehicle year over year, prices dropped 3.1 per cent in Alberta, the largest decline among Canadian provinces, according to the company.
Dealers say the market has shifted significantly from the supply shortages seen in recent years.
“A couple of years ago availability was the problem, now affordability is the problem,” said Kaswer Khani, general manager of Stampede Auto. “Naturally prices have shifted downwards, demand has gone down. Customers just have more options.”
According to Clutch, SUVs and trucks are experiencing the steepest price declines.
Khani said high fuel costs, particularly for diesel-powered vehicles, are encouraging more owners to sell their trucks, while those vehicles are also taking longer to move off dealership lots.
“We aim to do a 60-day turn, meaning a car sits in the inventory for 60 days, if you stretch it to 90, a lot of dealers are the same,” Khani said. “But we are finding now that some of these are pushing 120.”
Despite the recent decline, industry observers say prices may not continue falling indefinitely.
Brent Gudelot, head of Western Canada for Clutch, said the market is returning to more typical conditions after unusually strong demand last year, when some consumers rushed to purchase vehicles amid concerns tariffs could be imposed.
“What we are seeing is prices and demand, inventory turn, and how long a car takes to sell, are returning to our normal levels that we used to see in 2024,” Gudelot said. “2025 was a very exceptional year when we saw strong demand.”
