The Best Day to Buy a New Car and Get The Best Deal

2015 Nissan
Dealers don’t want cars sitting on their lots for long; the new year is a good time to deal hunt

What is the best day of the year to buy a new car? December 31st, say many experts.

Though we’ve also found some of the best car deals on January 2nd. Whatever your preferred date, this season could be one of the best ever to buy a new car. That’s because there are so many great cars —if you ask us, there aren’t any bad new cars on the market— and dealers need to move them off their lots and into buyers’ driveways.

2020 Fiat 500 X Sport
The 2022 Fiat 500X is among the best deals out there right now, according to US News & World Report. Photo: O. Torres

Our Tips on the Best New Car Deals and How to Get Them

The best deals on new cars this month run the full spectrum from economy to luxury cars, according to US News and World Report. Their top-10 list includes the 2022 edition of the Fiat 500X and the 2023 editions of the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Nissan Leaf

Kelly Blue Book agrees that the New Year is a great time to buy a car. Its best-deals list aligns with the US News and World Report. KBB’s list includes the 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia, several Audi models, and Chevrolet models such as the Blazer. (Oh my, that’s a lot of best car deals!)

Our tips on how to get the best deal

So how do you know these are good deals? Of course, research and good advice are key. Being prepared when you talk to a car dealer is critical to not walking away with the wrong car or a bad deal.

First, here is what you need to know before going to a dealership so you don’t regret your purchase: how to prepare and negotiate, what the dealer is thinking, how to get the best deal or discount, and how not to regret your purchase.

If you’re buying a car for someone else—like that lucky teen in your life—here are tips to make sure you find a car that makes them happy and helps you feel secure with them behind the wheel.

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz is among the best car deals right now, according to US News & World Report.

If you’re time-crunched but device-savvy, use your phone as your primary research tool. Here’s how.

When you take the car out for a test drive, be sure you get the full experience. Don’t just drive around the block—take it through your daily grind.

Want to hear how La Jolla Mom got her New Year’s car deal? She spells it all out here, and—we love this!—her research before the sale had the dealer sweating it out until closing time.

Finally, not feeling the love for the deal and thinking you might need to walk away? Here’s how Fadra Nally sidestepped the pressure and how she got the deal she was looking for.

Share the story of your new car search with us, and if you’re out there car shopping, happy hunting!

2015 Jetta Tdi Sel Monroney
Get to know this baby: the Monroney, which details critical information and also, options and amenities on the car you’re considering
Scotty Reiss
Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom. Expertise includes new cars, family cars, 3-row SUVs, child passenger car seats and automotive careers and culture. A World Car Awards juror and member of the steering committee, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, rather than her finding it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

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