{"version":"2026-state-of-american-auto-debt","name":"SwitchWize State of American Auto Debt","snapshotDate":"2026","citeAs":"SwitchWize, \"The State of American Auto Debt: 2026 Report.\" Retrieved 2026.","sourcePage":"https://www.switchwize.com/learn/state-of-american-auto-debt-2026","headline":{"totalAutoLoanDebtUsd":1690000000000,"underwaterTradeInSharePct":30.9,"averageNegativeEquityUsd":7183,"negativeEquityBuyersUsing84MonthLoansPct":43,"averageMonthlyPaymentUnderwaterUsd":932},"context":{"totalHouseholdDebtUsd":18800000000000,"shareUnderwaterOver10kPct":26,"newCarAprPct":7,"usedCarAprPct":11},"sources":[{"label":"New York Federal Reserve, Household Debt and Credit Report","detail":"Auto loan balances and total household debt, Q1 2026.","url":"https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc"},{"label":"Edmunds, early-2026 trade-in data","detail":"Underwater share, average negative equity, 84-month usage, monthly payments.","url":"https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/edmunds-insights-q1-2026-report.html"}],"methodology":{"summary":"A car depreciates faster than a long loan amortizes, so borrowers on 72- to 84-month terms spend years owing more than the car is worth; rolling that negative equity forward compounds it.","caveat":"Quarter-to-quarter Edmunds readings vary; the record early-2026 figures are used. APR ranges are 2026 market averages that depend on credit and lender."}}