Heading into the historically-hot-car-shopping Labor Day Weekend, buyers may be surprised to find themselves paying over sticker price for some of the most popular vehicles right now, according to a recent report from Autotrader. The laws of supply and demand are clearly at play in the current car-shopping environment, as the global microchip shortage and resulting automaker production delays continue to affect dealer inventories. Several popular, hard-to-find models currently have even harder to find deals, and buyers are paying well over MSRP as a result. After examining the latest data, Autotrader recently named the Toughest Twenty: 20 new vehicles consistently selling above full retail price.

“Many car shoppers are in for a surprise right now – if they can find the model they are looking for at the dealership, they may have to pay more for it than expected,” said Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. “In these unusual times, Autotrader’s consistent advice for deal-hunting car shoppers is to look for a sedan, hatchback or wagon. On the flip side, SUVs, trucks and even minivans are very popular right now, and they are in low supply. Chances are high that shoppers will have to pay more for the exact vehicle they want.”

While some vehicles on Autotrader’s Toughest Twenty list hail from luxury automakers for which buyers may expect to pay a premium, most of the vehicles are from mainstream/non-luxury manufacturers. Retail prices on these vehicles can range from under $15,000 to well over $100,000, so the possibility of paying above sticker price is an equal opportunity regardless of budget or spending power.

Autotrader’s Toughest Twenty:  20 New Vehicles Consistently Selling Above Full Retail Price

Rank	Vehicle	Vehicle Category	Average Transaction Price
1	Mercedes-Benz G-Class	Luxury SUV	118% of MSRP
2	Kia Telluride	Midsize SUV	108% of MSRP
3	Kia Carnival	Minivan	107% of MSRP
4	Hyundai Palisade	Midsize SUV	105% of MSRP
5	Honda Ridgeline	Midsize Truck	105% of MSRP
6	Land Rover Defender	Luxury SUV	105% of MSRP
7	Honda CR-V	Compact SUV	105% of MSRP
8	Cadillac Escalade	Luxury SUV	104% of MSRP
9	Nissan Versa	Subcompact Car	103% of MSRP
10	Honda Odyssey	Minivan	103% of MSRP
11	Land Rover Range Rover Sport	Luxury SUV	103% of MSRP
12	Nissan Kicks	Subcompact SUV	103% of MSRP
13	Subaru WRX	Compact Car	102% of MSRP
14	Ford Bronco	Midsize SUV	102% of MSRP
15	Chevrolet Corvette	Sports Car	102% of MSRP
16	Toyota Tacoma	Midsize Truck	102% of MSRP
17	Toyota Tundra	Full-Size Truck	101% of MSRP
18	Jeep Wrangler	Midsize SUV	101% of MSRP
19	GMC Yukon XL	Full-Size SUV	101% of MSRP
20	Chevrolet Bolt EUV	Electric Crossover	100.5% of MSRP

To create the list of the Toughest Twenty, Autotrader examined Average Transaction Prices (ATP) to measure the pricing increases. ATP is a measure of the selling price in a deal versus the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). The vehicles listed also have very low incentives, which usually is a sign that the vehicle is in high demand. In addition, nearly every vehicle listed has a low “days supply” – essentially, the number of days an average dealership could keep selling a given model without running out, assuming no new shipments are coming. Most vehicles on the list have less than a 30 days supply, except the Nissan Versa, Nissan Kicks, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Bolt.  

For more information and advice from Autotrader on vehicle supply and related pricing, visit https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/these-vehicles-are-selling-for-over-sticker-price.