National Automobile Dealers Association reports that new light‑vehicle sales in February reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 15.8 million units, a slight 1.4% decrease from a year earlier, though sales were up from January’s weather‑impacted pace. Winter storms slowed activity in parts of the US, and battery electric vehicle (BEV) market share remained below 2025 levels despite higher incentives.
Meanwhile, conventional hybrid sales continued to grow, and consumer affordability pressures—like rising monthly payments—persisted. The sales pace is expected to strengthen in March as competition intensifies among automakers. NADA writes:
New light-vehicle sales in February reached a SAAR of 15.8 million units, down 1.4% year-over-year. While the sales pace improved compared to January 2026, significant winter storms continued into February and affected sales somewhat in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. The sales pace is expected to accelerate in March as competition between OEMs heats up in the last month of the quarter.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) market share totaled 6.3% year-to-date through February, down 1.5 percentage points compared to the same period last year. […]
JD Power notes that more consumers are choosing 84-month loans, which should represent 12.7% of financed sales in February, up from 7.7% in February 2025.[…]
So far this year average tax refunds are up roughly 10%, according to the Tax Foundation. Because of higher refunds, we expect a bigger-than-usual boost this spring to used-vehicle demand, as well as potentially a small boost to new-vehicle sales. Looking ahead to the end of the year, we expect new light-vehicle sales will total 16.0 million units in 2026.
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