The final reading of the Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index put an exclamation point on just how unique 2021 was when it comes to wholesale prices.

Black Book revealed the December index reading on Tuesday, saying it increased another 5.8 points (or 3.1%) from November to land at 195.7.

Analysts determined that rise left their index 52.0% above where it was at the end of 2020.

Perhaps 2022 might be different.

“During the last two weeks of 2021, we started to see declines in wholesale prices in multiple segments, leading to only a small increase in the overall monthly Retention Index,” Black Book chief data science officer Alex Yurchenko said in a news release.

“As new inventory levels leveled off (and improved for some OEMs) and consumer demand softened, demand at wholesale channels slowed down at the end of the year,” Yurchenko continued. We expect a stable wholesale market in January, even as the number of COVID cases increases significantly across the country.”  

The Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is calculated using the company’s published wholesale average value on 2- to 6-year-old used vehicles, as percent of original typically equipped MSRP. It is weighted based on registration volume and adjusted for seasonality, vehicle age, mileage, and condition.

To obtain a copy of the latest Black Book Wholesale Value Index, go to this website.