Used Vehicles and SUVs Remain Prominent in Q3 2022

by Melinda Zabritski 2 min read December 6, 2022

Young couple discuss the purchase of a new car with salesman

The automotive market continues to evolve. Hit with challenges like the inventory shortage, the response has been dynamic, as lenders and dealers look for creative ways to serve their customers.

Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q3 2022 found that consumers with credit scores between 300 and 660—also considered as the nonprime segments—are continuing to opt for used vehicles rather than new. In addition to that, consumers overall are preferring larger vehicles such as SUVs over sedans.

In Q3 2022, used vehicles comprised 61.68% of total vehicle financing, an increase from 59.66% the previous year. With used vehicles typically having a higher volume and monthly payments that are considerably lower than new vehicles, it’s not out of the ordinary for used to make up a larger portion of automotive financing.

For example, the average monthly payment for a used vehicle went from $472 in Q3 2021 to $525 in Q3 2022. In comparison, the average monthly payment for a new vehicle was $700 this quarter, an increase from $618 this time last year.

In Q3 2022, the used vehicle loan amount increased 8.59% year-over-year, a significantly lower increase from Q3 2021, when average loan amounts jumped 21.37% year-over-year. This is certainly a positive trend for consumers who are in the market for a used vehicle and could also signal the finance market normalizing, with used vehicle values increasing at a more expected rate.

Larger vehicles dominate financing share

When looking at what consumers are financing, SUVs have comprised the majority of financing for quite some time. In Q3 2022, SUVs made up 60.40% of financing, an increase from 58.03% in Q3 2021, while full-size pickup trucks grew from 15.84% to 17.19% year-over-year. In comparison, sedans decreased from 20.38% in Q3 2021 to 17.61% in Q3 2022.

Larger vehicles sustained dominance in the automotive industry is partly due to the rise of crossover vehicles, which consumers appreciate because of the additional cargo space without completely sacrificing fuel efficiency.

While it appears that things may be leveling out in the automotive finance market, it is important to stay close to the data and trends to better understand the evolving marketplace. The automotive industry continues to be ever-changing, and lenders and dealers who leverage data-driven decision making will be best positioned to manage any future changes.

To learn more about automotive finance trends, watch the entire State of the Automotive Finance Market: Q3 2022 presentation on demand.

Related Posts

The Email Address as Your Most Powerful Identity Signal

The why behind Experian's acquisition of AtData What happens when a comprehensive email intelligence database joins a global leader in data, analytics and fraud prevention? The acquisition of AtData adds 25+ years of building a complete view of email as an identity signal. Financial institutions can recognize, engage and protect customers unlocking a new standard for the way their teams work and the customer experience. That's what Experian's acquisition of AtData delivers. How we got here Not all email addresses tell the same story. Some are newly created. Some exhibit bot-like patterns. Some are inconsistent with every other signal you have about that person. Imagine a real customer. You have a job. You shop online. You have a primary email from your employer, a personal Gmail you've used for 15 years, and an old Yahoo address you still use for shopping because you've been using it since college. You're an engaged customer who interacts with brands, makes purchases and pays bills on time. But each system sees a different version of you. When you apply for credit, the lender sees one email. When you shop, the retailer sees another. When you sign up for a service, you might use the third. For financial institutions: You slow down the approval process to manually verify identity or approve applicants without the full picture. For retailers: You can't tell which version of "customer" is the most engaged, so you either over-mail or under-serve. For fraud systems: Sees a new account created under one email and flags it as suspicious because it doesn't have the history. This was the original problem AtData was built to solve in 1999. Twenty-five years later, that problem didn’t go away, it became more complex. Email fragmentation and device sharing are more common, and identity theft is more sophisticated. Capabilities that now work together Experian has built sophisticated identity and fraud solutions backed by consumer data resources and decades of expertise in credit and risk. AtData brought the ability to assess whether an email address is trustworthy, reachable and consistent—at scale, in real time. Experian is now making email intelligence foundational, not optional. This matters for: Fraud prevention and risk management: Distinguishing a returning customer from a new threat. Knowing whether an email is newly created, exhibiting bot-like patterns or inconsistent with other identities is crucial. Compliance: Building audit trails that can explain identity decisions. Email data history and behavioral signals create the documentation needed to defend your decisions. Credit: Verifying identity in a world where traditional signals are shifting. Email signals provide a persistent, durable identifier that confirms who someone actually is. Marketing: Reaching the right person across email, mail and digital channels. Email intelligence reveals which addresses are actively engaged and reachable. Research shows email remains one of the highest-ROI marketing channels outperforming paid search and social advertising1. The problem every marketer faces: You end up burning budget on addresses that bounce, are unmonitored or are associated with users who never open mail. For credit marketing specifically, email enables faster, more targeted delivery of firm offers across channels, something that's increasingly important in a post-cookie world. "Email is a persistent identifier in a fragmented world. It's what connects a person's postal address, phones, devices, behaviors—the full picture of who they are. By embedding that into our infrastructure, we're not just adding another data point. We're fundamentally improving how businesses understand who their customers are."- Ashley Knight, Senior Vice President, Financial Services and Data Why now? AI is reshaping how decisions are made in every industry. Models are getting faster, more automated and more embedded in core workflows. But AI is only as effective as the data behind it. Fragmented data + fast models = faster, larger-scale misclassifications. In an era of synthetic identities, AI agents, deepfakes and AI-generated activity, the value of durable, persistent, real-world data signals has increased dramatically. Deloitte’s Center for Financial Services projects that generative AI could drive fraud losses in the U.S. up to $40 billion by 2027, a 32% growth rate since 2023. And email sits at the center of it with business email compromise already being one of the most common and costly fraud types. People change phones, move homes and swap devices, but they often hold onto their email for years. That's the signal that protects your business, and the one we've built into the core of how we help you make decisions with confidence. View the press release here

August 6, 2026 by Zohreen Ismail
Building Financial Opportunity Through Purpose-Driven Partnership

Discover how the National Urban League and Experian partner to expand financial literacy and create economic opportunity.

August 6, 2026 by Scarlet Nickel
2026 U.S. Identity and Fraud Report 

Explore key findings and insights from our newly released 2026 U.S. Identity and Fraud Report. Read more now!

August 5, 2026 by Laura Burrows

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Enter your name and email for the latest updates.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Don't miss out on the latest industry trends and insights!
Subscribe