Approximately 1.7 million vehicles were repossessed in 2025, the highest total since 2009, with subprime auto loan delinquencies reaching 6.6 percent in January 2025, the highest rate since tracking began in 1994, according to Newsweek citing Cox Automotive and Federal Reserve data. The average new car payment now exceeds $750 per month, and roughly 30 percent of annual repossessions occur in the fourth quarter alone.
Operator takeaway
Record repo volume means record repo call volume, and record repo violence. If your company does repossession work, staff for the surge and train every driver on de-escalation and exit protocols before the Q4 wave hits.