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New car payments hit all-time high as US auto loan debt nears $1.7 trillion

7/8/2026

The monthly cost of financing a new vehicle in the United States has reached a record.

Outstanding auto loan debt, the total balance owed by every American currently repaying a car loan, has risen 57.3% over the past decade and now sits at nearly $1.7 trillion, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported.

Affordability for new-car buyers has not improved. What $1.7 trillion in auto debt actually says Outstanding debt is a running balance.

It accumulates as new loans are issued and shrinks only as existing loans are paid off or written down. A 57.3% increase over ten years means new borrowing outpaced repayment by a wide margin across the full decade.

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