• The car-buying market remains volatile, though used car prices are falling.
  • But there are 14 used cars that cost more than their new versions, per a new iSeeCars analysis.
  • A lightly used Toyota Sienna or Kia Carnival could cost thousands more than they do new.

Even as the car-buying market normalizes somewhat, prices are still a concern for consumers, especially with used vehicles.

The average transaction price for new vehicles has seen some improvement, but because of low supply and high demand, the pricing dynamics of secondhand cars have been less predictable.

One glaring sign of how strange the car market still is: 14 used vehicles are on average more expensive today than their new equivalents, according to car search engine iSeeCars.

iSeeCars did an analysis of nearly 9 million new (from model years 2022 and 2023) and lightly used cars (model years 2021 and 2022) listed for sale from February to March this year.

For example, the popular Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is going for $40,045 used, or $953 over its new price. Special interest vehicles, like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, going for $196,228 used, is $8,633 more than the cost of it new.

Vehicle availability is still being pinched by supply-chain issues that hit auto manufacturing during the pandemic, inflating prices for some of the most popular, high-value, or fuel-efficient models, Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars told Insider. 

Before the pandemic threw a wrench into car manufacturing and buying, a few special and hard-to-find models — like a next-generation Chevy Corvette — might have sold for above their new retail price even slightly used, Brauer said. Now that's true of everyday vehicles like Toyota Corollas. His advice to shoppers: Since prices can vary greatly at dealerships across the country, don't be afraid to broaden your search radius and travel to secure the best deal. 

But there's good news: This year, lightly used cars are, on average, more than 8% cheaper than their new equivalent. That's a huge improvement over 2022, when the average lightly used car was 8.5% above the average new car price, according to iSeeCars' data. Even better is that the number of used cars priced above their new car equivalent dropped from 15 last year to this year's 14.

Below are price differentials for the other 12 vehicles analyzed:

Ford Maverick

Used price: $36,777

Difference used over new: $4,038

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid.
The 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid.
Toyota

Toyota Corolla Hybrid

Used price: $27,809

Difference used over new: $2,038

Toyota Sienna

Used price: $50,978

Difference used over new: $1,806

The 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE plug-in hybrid SUV.
The 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE.
Tim Levin/Insider

Toyota RAV4 Prime

Used price: $51,298

Difference used over new: $1,726

Toyota Corolla Cross

Used price: $30,636

Difference used over new: $853

The Kia Carnival's brown and black interior.
The Kia Carnival.
Kia

Kia Carnival 

Used price: $42,025

Difference used over new: $916

Ford Bronco

Used price: $55,372

Difference used over new: $901

Honda Civic (hatchback)

Used price: $29,683

Difference used over new: $297

The 2022 Honda Accord Hybrid.
The 2022 Honda Accord Hybrid.
Honda

Honda Accord Hybrid

Used price: $34,704

Difference used over new: $152

Chevrolet Corvette

Used price: $84,827

Difference used over new: $324

Kia Rio

Used price: $20,135

Difference used over new: $27

Honda Accord

Used price: $30,404

Difference used over new: $16