These 2020 vehicles show the most remaining inventory

Automotive search engine iSeeCars.com says that in looking at vehicle inventory in 2021, it has found that 9.5% less new-car inventory is available from the current model year compared to the same time last year.

Karl Brauer, executive analyst for the site, said a possible reason for that is that automakers had to delay releases of their new vehicles and that inventory hasn’t completely stabilized.

iSeeCars said some models have more remaining 2020 inventory than others. That makes them more likely to provide discounts for new-car shoppers.

iSeeCars conducted a study of the new cars with the most excess 2020 inventory, and the vehicle with the highest share of 2020 inventory remaining is the Ford Escape.

That vehicle shows 90.4% of its new-car inventory coming from the 2020 model year.

“Ford Escape sales dropped by 26% in 2020 compared to 2019, and Ford didn’t begin production of the 2021 version until early January,” Brauer said in a news release.

Brauer also said, “The normally popular Ford Escape also has new competition within Ford’s own product line, with the all-new 2021 Ford Bronco Sport making headlines and spurring interest.”

For its study, iSeeCars analyzed more than 700,000 new cars listed for sale as of Friday. The share of each model from the 2020 model year was used to rank them.  iSeeCars excluded heavy-duty trucks, lower-volume models and cars that did not have a large amount of 2021 inventory available from further analysis.

iSeeCars said the average new model has 22.5% of its inventory remaining from the 2020 model year. But 24 models have at least 1.5 times that amount on dealer lots.

In addition to the Escape, five additional Ford vehicles make the list.

Those include the EcoSport at No. 2, the fourth-ranked Expedition, the Expedition Max at No. 5, the eighth-ranked Ford Ranger, and the Ford F-150 at No. 16.

“The 2021 Ford EcoSport did not arrive at dealerships until late 2020, and the Expedition and Expedition Max saw decreases in sales in 2020 over 2019, creating a surplus of 2020 vehicles,” Brauer said.

Brauer also said, “The Ford Ranger could not keep up with demand for much of 2020 due to pandemic-related production shortages, causing declines in availability and sales, while the Ford F-150 had a highly-anticipated redesign for 2021, likely lowering demand for 2020 models.”

The Chevrolet Bolt EV ranked third, with 2020 model year vehicles comprising 68.9% of its new-car inventory.

Brauer said the Bolt’s 26% increase in sales in 2020 over 2019 was impressive, but the vehicle still showed a surplus of 2020 inventory.

“Dealers really want to move these outgoing model year vehicles and are steeply discounting them with up to $14,000 in incentives currently being offered.”

Additional crossovers from General Motors made the list.

Those included the 10th-ranked Buick Envision and Chevrolet Trax at No. 11.

Brauer said that although the Buick Envision was redesigned for 2021, it has limited inventory because of the first models arriving at dealerships in December.

“Chevrolet is cutting production of the Trax to keep up with demand for the new Trailblazer, which likely cannibalized Trax demand over the past year,” Brauer said.

The Hyundai Santa Fe ranked at No. 6, with 57.7% of its new car inventory coming from the 2020 model year.

“Brauer said the Hyundai Santa Fe saw more than a 20% decrease in sales in 2020 compared to 2019.

“The 2021 Santa Fe was fully redesigned, taking design cues from the highly successful Palisade while pulling demand from the 2020 model,” Brauer said.

The Chrysler 300 ranked seventh, and three additional Fiat Chrysler models made the list. Those included the ninth-ranked Dodge Charger, the Dodge Challenger at No. 12, and the Chrysler Pacifica at No. 17.

Brauer said the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger were built on the same platform and both saw a decrease in sales in 2020.

“The in-demand Challenger was one of the models most impacted by the pandemic for inventory shortages, yet plenty of 2020 models remain for buyers seeking this model,” Brauer said. “The Pacifica was redesigned for 2021 to include more advanced safety features and all-wheel drive on its Pinnacle Trim, causing some buyers to pass on the 2020 model in anticipation of the new version.”

Three Nissans make the list including the 13th-ranked Nissan Murano, the 15th-ranked Nissan Sentra, and the 18th-ranked Nissan Versa.

Three Hondas also made the list.

Those include the Honda CR-V Hybrid at No. 14, its non-hybrid variant the 21st-ranked CR-V, and the Honda Civic at No. 23.

Brauer said the Nissan Murano sold nearly 15% fewer vehicles in 2020 compared to 2019. But he said the Murano appears dated among its competition because it has not been redesigned since 2015.

“Nissan is offering the same cashback deals for its 2020 and 2021 Versas and is advertising leasing deals for the 2021 Sentras, so buyers don’t have much of an incentive to buy the older models,” Brauer said.

iSeeCars said that when purchasing a new vehicle, shoppers should compare prices of 2021 and 2020 versions to see which offer the best deal.

“A surplus of vehicles from the 2020 model year might remain on dealer lots because a car’s popularity is declining, because car buyers want to wait for an upcoming redesign, or because similar, more competitive models are available,” Brauer said.

Brauer also said, “Additionally, there are many 2021 vehicles that are just starting to arrive on dealer lots, meaning there will likely be more savings opportunities as dealers receive additional new-car inventory.”

Further details are availalbe in the chart from iSeeCars below.

New Cars with the Highest Share of 2020 Inventory