Special Report

The Cars That Stay on Dealer Lots the Longest

tomeng / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Though the U.S. auto market has improved significantly from where it was in 2020, car dealers are still struggling to get back to normal. According to automotive data company Black Book, new car sales were down 14% in June 2021, compared to June of 2019, the most recent pre-pandemic year for auto sales. 

With sales down, some cars have been relegated to gathering dust on dealer lots. The average new car purchased in June took 41.7 days to sell. Yet some vehicles averaged more than three months to sell.

To determine the cars that stay on dealer lots the longest, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from car search engine iSeeCars on the new vehicles with the highest average days to sell as of June 2021.

Cars may take longer to sell for a number of reasons — they could have prices well beyond what consumers are willing to pay or they might just be much less popular than other similar cars.

Nearly all of the slowest selling cars are small to midsize sedans or small to midsize SUVs. There are five different Ford vehicles on the list, the most of any manufacturer. Nissan vehicles appear on the list four times, and Mitsubishi vehicles three times.

A worldwide semiconductor chip shortage has cut into manufacturers’ ability to produce new cars and significantly reduced the supply of cars getting to dealers’ lots. Demand, meanwhile, continued to be strong, and June was the first month in which the inventory backlog was no longer sufficient to meet demand. In the case of some popular cars, dealers only have a few weeks’ worth of supply remaining. This is how close dealers are to running out of America’s most popular cars.

Click here to see the cars that stay on dealer lots the longest.

DarthArt / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

25. Nissan Titan
> Avg. days to sell: 72.6
> Avg. price: $51,615

[in-text-ad]

contrastaddict / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

24. Chrysler 300
> Avg. days to sell: 73.3
> Avg. price: $34,690

tomeng / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

23. Ford Escape
> Avg. days to sell: 74.0
> Avg. price: $30,684

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

22. Nissan Altima
> Avg. days to sell: 75.9
> Avg. price: $28,235

[in-text-ad-2]

Courtesy of Honda

21. Honda Civic
> Avg. days to sell: 77.2
> Avg. price: $24,260

nuttapong / Getty Images

20. Mitsubishi Mirage G4
> Avg. days to sell: 77.7
> Avg. price: $17,490

[in-text-ad]

Courtesy of Nissan

19. Nissan Maxima
> Avg. days to sell: 78.5
> Avg. price: $40,955

LPETTET / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

18. Ford Explorer
> Avg. days to sell: 79.7
> Avg. price: $45,640

DarthArt / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

17. Infiniti QX50
> Avg. days to sell: 82.1
> Avg. price: $46,807

[in-text-ad-2]

bukharova / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

16. Lincoln Nautilus
> Avg. days to sell: 82.4
> Avg. price: $52,394

nuttapong / Getty Images

15. Mitsubishi Mirage
> Avg. days to sell: 83.4
> Avg. price: $16,801

[in-text-ad]

Konoplytska / Getty Images

14. Ford Mustang
> Avg. days to sell: 83.8
> Avg. price: $46,855

Tramino / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

13. Jeep Compass
> Avg. days to sell: 86.1
> Avg. price: $30,461

courtesy of Ford Motor Co.

12. Lincoln Corsair
> Avg. days to sell: 86.1
> Avg. price: $45,621

[in-text-ad-2]

Courtesy of Acura

11. Acura TLX
> Avg. days to sell: 90.9
> Avg. price: $44,763

chevrolet.com

10. Chevrolet Malibu
> Avg. days to sell: 93.6
> Avg. price: $22,090

[in-text-ad]

Leonid Eremeychuk / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

9. Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
> Avg. days to sell: 94.6
> Avg. price: $24,006

www.nissanusa.com

8. Nissan Versa
> Avg. days to sell: 97.4
> Avg. price: $18,822

7. Ford Explorer Hybrid
> Avg. days to sell: 100.8
> Avg. price: $53,484

[in-text-ad-2]

Tramino / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

6. Ford Ecosport
> Avg. days to sell: 102.9
> Avg. price: $24,191

JFsPic / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

5. Chevrolet Trax
> Avg. days to sell: 105.3
> Avg. price: $23,120

[in-text-ad]

Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons

4. Alfa Romeo Stelvio
> Avg. days to sell: 121.3
> Avg. price: $48,477

Courtesy of Alfo Romeo USA

3. Alfa Romeo Giulia
> Avg. days to sell: 128.1
> Avg. price: $44,794

shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

2. Cadillac Xt4
> Avg. days to sell: 128.9
> Avg. price: $46,264

[in-text-ad-2]

dodge.com

1. Dodge Journey
> Avg. days to sell: 136.6
> Avg. price: $23,753

Is Your Money Earning the Best Possible Rate? (Sponsor)

Let’s face it: If your money is just sitting in a checking account, you’re losing value every single day. With most checking accounts offering little to no interest, the cash you worked so hard to save is gradually being eroded by inflation.

However, by moving that money into a high-yield savings account, you can put your cash to work, growing steadily with little to no effort on your part. In just a few clicks, you can set up a high-yield savings account and start earning interest immediately.

There are plenty of reputable banks and online platforms that offer competitive rates, and many of them come with zero fees and no minimum balance requirements. Click here to see if you’re earning the best possible rate on your money!

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.