MLK Day offers the best used-car bargains of the year, with 65.5% more deals than average.
January is the strongest month overall for used-car shoppers, delivering 55.6% more deals.
July 4th is the worst holiday to buy, with 22.4% fewer used-car deals; June is the worst month, down 22.8%.
Dealers usually trot out deals on new cars during the holidays, but if a used car is more in line with your budget, research suggests you’ll get a better deal if you wait a new weeks.
A new analysis from iSeeCars shows that the best opportunities to find meaningful savings occur during the coldest months of the year, with Martin Luther King Jr. Day emerging as the single best day to buy a used car.
The study examined more than 40 million used-car sales across 2024 and 2025, defining a “good deal” as at least 10% off the average used-car price of $26,889, or roughly $2,689 in savings. While the typical chance of finding a deal on any given day is just 13.7%, that number varies dramatically depending on the season or holiday.
Cold weather=hot deals
According to the data, MLK Day offers 65.5% more deals than average, followed by New Year's Eve and New Year’s Day, which offer 58.6% more. The pattern extends across the winter calendar: January (+55.6%), Presidents Day (+47%), February (+36.2%), and other cold-season holidays all rank near the top.
“Consumers struggling to find a good deal on a used vehicle will have far more opportunities in the colder months,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. He noted that used-car prices tend to “follow the average temperature,” generally falling from November through March and bottoming out between December 31 and late February.
Warm weather brings higher prices
The study also highlights the months and holidays when buyers are least likely to find savings. June ranks as the worst month, with 22.8% fewer deals than average, closely followed by May and July. Holidays centered in the warmer season also performed poorly, with July 4th (-22.4%), Father’s Day (-19.7%), Juneteenth (-19.7%), and Memorial Day (-18%) all offering significantly fewer deals.
Brauer cautioned shoppers about summer holiday promotions: “If you’re seeing announcements about ‘special offers’ between Memorial Day and Labor Day, be skeptical. Do your own research to compare an advertised car’s price versus its market value.”
The study found that winter holidays consistently outperform summer ones. Along with MLK Day and New Year’s festivities, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Christmas Eve, and Thanksgiving/Black Friday offer above-average opportunities. In contrast, Labor Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and July 4th fall toward the bottom of the list.
Seasonal patterns
Monthly data mirrored the holiday rankings. January, February, and December top the list, while April through August generally underperform, and May through July show some of the lowest chances of finding a used-car deal.
Still, Brauer emphasizes that deals are always possible—just harder to find in summer. “If you need to replace a car in the summer months you can still find a good deal,” he said.