Three Teslas are among the five used cars whose prices rose fastest in the United States over the past year, according to a study that the car-search site iSeeCars published on 28 October 2026. A one- to five-year-old Model S was listed at an average of $57,862 in September, up $10,636, or 22.5%, on September 2025. The Model X rose 18.0% to $61,309 and the Model 3 15.4% to $28,931. Only the BMW X2, at 24.3%, rose faster.
The ten biggest risers
| Rank | Model | Average price, Sept. 2026 | Change in a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BMW X2 | $33,425 | +24.3% |
| 2 | Tesla Model S | $57,862 | +22.5% |
| 3 | Tesla Model X | $61,309 | +18.0% |
| 4 | Lexus ES 300h | $42,836 | +15.5% |
| 5 | Tesla Model 3 | $28,931 | +15.4% |
| 6 | Lexus ES 350 | $41,251 | +14.8% |
| 7 | Infiniti QX80 | $48,135 | +14.1% |
| 8 | Nissan Murano | $27,574 | +12.3% |
| 9 | Honda Pilot | $36,449 | +12.1% |
| 10 | Mini Countryman | $29,234 | +11.5% |
The Model Y is not on the list, and iSeeCars does not publish its figure. Any rise it had was therefore smaller than the 11.5% of the tenth-placed Mini Countryman.
Used EVs now cost more than petrol cars
Across all used electric cars in the study, the average asking price rose 9.8% to $32,533, from $29,637 a year earlier. Hybrids rose 4.9% to $34,476 and petrol cars 0.3% to $31,954. A used EV now costs $579 more than a used petrol car on average. A year ago it cost $2,227 less.
EVs also sell faster. They spent an average of 41.9 days on the market in September, down from 46.6. Petrol cars took 54.8 days, up from 45.7, and hybrids 48.6. A year ago petrol cars sold slightly faster than EVs; now EVs sell almost 13 days sooner.
Karl Brauer, iSeeCars' executive analyst, says "ongoing higher fuel prices are likely driving the shift, though the EV segment has also recovered from the demand turbulence caused by the loss of federal incentives a year ago". The US federal EV tax credits expired on 30 September 2025.
A trend that built through the year
According to CBT News, used EV prices were down on the year in the first three months of 2026 and have been up every month since April. September's 9.8% was slightly below August's 10.3%. In iSeeCars' first-quarter study, the average used Tesla was flat on the year, at −0.1%, while other used EVs had lost 10.3%. By June, all four Tesla models showed double-digit gains.
What the numbers measure
These are average asking prices on listings, not the prices cars sold for. Each September's figure covers cars that were one to five years old at the time, so the model years in the sample move forward by one year between the two dates. Part of a rise can come from newer cars entering the sample rather than from the same cars being re-priced. iSeeCars does not separate the two effects.
The Model S and Model X stand out for another reason: the last of both left Fremont in May, so the used market is now the only place to buy one. iSeeCars does not say whether that played a part.
How Britain compares
The rise is steeper than in Britain. The AA Cars index for the third quarter put the average used Model 3 at £19,295, up 5.0% on the year, while the Model Y was still 2.0% down. The two indices measure different periods in different ways, so the comparison shows a direction rather than a precise gap.