STAMFORD, Conn. -

RVI Group’s latest Market Update reveals that all vehicle segments saw used-car price declines in September as compared to a year ago.

As a result, the RVI Used Vehicle Price Index decreased by 0.5 percent when compared to August. Compared to a year ago, the index was down by 4.3 percent.

Adjusting for inflation, the index decreased by 0.3 percent in September, and was down by 2.2 percent year over year.

RVI’s Used Vehicle Price Index, which started at 1.0 in January 2001, measures wholesale values of used cars 2 years old to 5 years old adjusted for mileage, mix and seasonality. The index in September was at 1.046.

Used prices for small vehicle segments continue to be below market average due to the effect of low gas prices, which are down 5.5 percent year over year.

Subcompact cars prices are down 9.1 percent year over year, followed by compact cars (8.2 percent), small sedans (7.8 percent) and sporty coupes (7.0 percent).

Minivans saw the best retention, with prices down 0.2 percent year over year, followed by small pickups (1.8 percent).

But small pickups saw the highest monthly price drop, with prices down 2.6 percent over August.

Meanwhile, new-vehicle prices decreased 0.1 percent in September compared to a year ago. New-vehicle prices (transaction prices), on a seasonally adjusted basis, fell by 0.1 percent from August to September.