What’s worse: hitting a speed bump with a full cup of coffee… or signing up for a $1,000/month car payment? Both are bad, but that $1K car note stings a whole lot more. Good thing we’ve got Melinda Zabritski, Head of Automotive Financial Insights at Experian Automotive, back on the show today to help us make sense of it all. Maybe not the coffee part but definitely the finance part! In this episode, Melinda and I break down Experian's latest State of the Automotive Finance Market report for Q1 2026. We get into why nearly 1 in 5 new vehicle loans now come with a $1,000+ monthly payment, and why 74% of those big payments aren’t for luxury badges but for CUVs, SUVs, and especially pickup trucks. We talk about how over a third of new loans now stretch past six years and what that does to your equity when you go back to the dealership, plus how average loan amounts have climbed more than $2,150 year over year and how destination fees and bigger vehicles have pushed payments higher. Then we run an EV vs. hybrid reality check and dig into why EV financing dropped from nearly 11% to just over 6% of new vehicle financing, how tax credits fueled the EV surge and what happened when that boost faded, why hybrids are on fire while BEVs decelerate, and why non-luxury EVs can still deliver some of the lowest monthly payments on the market.
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🔗 Want the full story in data form? We pulled the highlights, but you’ll want the details:
Experian's State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q1 2026
Experian Automotive's exclusive quarterly report on the latest trends and analysis of the U.S. automotive finance market, presented by Melinda Zabritski, Head of Automotive Financial Insights at Experian.
This quarter’s report highlights several key trends shaping the automotive finance landscape:
- Used financing share increased while overall volumes declined.
- Growth shifted toward non-prime segments.
- Banks and finance companies continued gaining share.
- Loan amounts, payments, and terms increased.
- Leasing declined year-over-year.
- Refinance activity grew, with average monthly savings.
- Delinquencies remained elevated.
Download here
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Check out Experian's EV Resource Page for all things electric vehicle data
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This episode is sponsored by Experian. Experian is a global data and technology company, powering opportunities for people and businesses around the world. Experian helps to redefine lending practices, uncover and prevent fraud, simplify healthcare, deliver digital marketing solutions, and gain deeper insights into the automotive market, all using their unique combination of data, analytics and software. Learn more here
https://www.experian.com/automotive/ev-resource-center?cmpid=EVS_for_Everyone
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Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn
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Connect with Elena:
https://evs4everyone.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaciccotelli/
Let's talk on X:
https://twitter.com/EVs_forEveryone
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-evs-for-everyone-podcast/
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