The long slide in car insurance prices paused in September. The motor vehicle insurance index in the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. It is a small move, but it is the first monthly increase since April, after declines of 0.3% in July and 0.8% in August.
Drivers are still paying less than they were a year ago. The insurance index is down 5.0% from September 2025, close to the 5.1% annual decline in August. The cost of fixing cars is moving the other way: the maintenance and repair index rose 0.7% in September and is up 5.8% in a year.
What September's report says about the cost of owning a car
Vehicle prices and running costs in the September 2026 CPI
| Index | July | August | September | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle insurance | -0.3% | -0.8% | +0.1% | -5.0% |
| Maintenance and repair | +0.6% | +1.1% | +0.7% | +5.8% |
| Used cars and trucks | +0.4% | +0.4% | +0.7% | -1.5% |
| New vehicles | +0.1% | +0.3% | +0.2% | +0.6% |
| Parts and equipment | +0.6% | 0.0% | +0.4% | +0.8% |
| Gasoline (all types) | -2.9% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +34.2% |
Monthly changes are seasonally adjusted; 12-month changes are not. Source: BLS CPI Table 2, Oct. 14, 2026.
Repair costs have now risen in each of the past five months on the BLS index, including a 1.1% jump in August. Parts and equipment, which covers tires and other items owners buy themselves, rose 0.4% in September.
Used cars are firming up. The used cars and trucks index rose 0.7% in September after 0.4% gains in July and August, the third straight monthly increase. BLS called out the move in its release, and CBS News reported that economists pointed to used-car prices as one reason core inflation came in hotter than expected. Even so, the index remains 1.5% below its level a year ago.
New-vehicle prices have edged up for three months as well, by 0.2% in September, but the index is only 0.6% higher than a year ago, far below overall inflation of 3.7%.
Why insurance and repair are moving in opposite directions
Insurance prices in the CPI track what households pay in premiums. The BLS data show the index fell from about 897 in December 2025 to 850 in September 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis. Repair prices track what shops charge for labor and parts, and they have kept climbing through that period, from about 440 in December to 468 in September.
That gap matters because repair costs feed into what insurers pay on claims. A single month does not make a trend, and September's 0.1% insurance increase could reverse. But with repair bills up 5.8% and gasoline up 34.2% in a year, the savings drivers have seen on premiums are being eaten up elsewhere.
What drivers can do now
With premiums still lower than a year ago on average, renewal time is a good moment to get competing quotes, since individual rates vary widely by state, driving record and vehicle. Owners facing a large repair estimate should get a second quote and ask whether aftermarket or used parts are an option. Used-car shoppers should note that prices have been rising since summer, even though they are still slightly lower than last fall. The next CPI report, for October, is due Nov. 10.
