22.9% of new car buyers signed 7-year loans in Q1 — that share has doubled since 2018 as the average monthly payment hit $773
The average American who financed a new car in the first quarter of 2026 committed to a monthly payment of $773. The average amount financed hit a record $43,899. And nearly one in four of those buyers signed a loan lasting 84 months or longer. That last figure, 22.9% of all financed new-car deals, comes…