CARY, N.C. -

Here is some potential good news for dealers when it comes to used-vehicle inventory: they might be able to source more consumer cars this year.

According to 2022 State of the American Driver report from car ownership app Jerry, 58% of drivers said they would consider selling their vehicle this year. Last year, 14% of drivers actually did so.

And among those consumers who ended up selling their ride, close to a third (31%) traded it in to a dealership, the study found. While not a majority, that group was larger than any sales avenue in the study.

Nineteen percent of consumers selling their vehicles sold directly to another consumer, 17% utilized online vehicle platforms, 11% used Facebook Marketplace, 10% turned to Craigslist, 6% turned to eBay Motors and 6% used other methods, the Jerry data shows.

“Despite common knowledge that dealership trade-in leads to a smaller profit, convenience remains important for many,” the company said in the report.

Not to mention, the equity position in which many consumers now find themselves.

In a late December forecast, J.D. Power said that average trade-in equity last month was on track to reach $10,199. Not only would that represent an 83% year-over-year increase, it would be the first time ever that average trade-in equity was higher than $10,000, J.D. Power said.

Data released last month also shows that industry analysts are cautiously optimistic about used-car inventory levels.

In analysis around the mid-December reading of the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, Cox Automotive said retail supply of used vehicles was at 49 days, which would be considered “normal,” while wholesale supply had also climbed and was just slightly below normal levels.

Likewise in a late December analysis, TrueCar shared some positive news for supply.

“In October we were seeing initial signs that the worst may be behind us in terms of inventory shortages. We continue to see signals of stability and in some cases, slight improvement. One such indicator, our scarcity measure, shows improvement in recent months for both new and used vehicles,” TrueCar senior vice president of OEM solutions said in a news release. “However, questions still remain as to the trajectory of improvement we can expect to see in 2022.”