The best and worst months to buy a used car, according to data

• January is the best month to buy a used car, according to a study from car search engine and automotive research firm iSeeCars.
• For those hunting for a good deal, late fall and early winter are the best times to buy a used car, while late spring and early summer are the worst times.

January is the best month to buy a used car, according to a study from car search engine and automotive research firm iSeeCars.

January, February, and December are the three best months to buy a used car, in that order. According to iSeeCars, in general, late fall and early winter are good times to purchase a used car with a deal.

"There is more inventory at this time because it aligns with the most popular time to buy a new car due to dealers wanting to get rid of outgoing model year vehicles to make room for new model year inventory," iSeeCars' executive analyst Karl Brauer said in a statement in the study. "Additionally, there isn't as much foot traffic in dealerships in the beginning of the year compared to months with milder weather, so dealers are more competitive with their pricing to drive up demand."

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On the opposite end, late spring and early summer - specifically June, July, September, August, and May - have the worst months for potential used car shoppers looking for a deal.

iSeeCars analyzed over 32 million used cars sold between 2018 and 2019 for the study, and vehicles listed at or below 5% market value were then considered deals. The final percentage points per month reflect the differences between the chances of finding a deal that month, and the chances of finding a deal on an average day, which is 26.1%.

1. January - 28.6% more deals than average
2. February - 22.1% more deals than average
3. December - 13% more deals than average
4. March - 12.6% more deals than average
5. November - 6.2% more deals than average
6. April - 0.9% fewer deals than average
7. October - 5.5% fewer deals than average
8. May - 14.7% fewer deals than average
9. August - 14.7% fewer deals than average
10. September - 15% fewer deals than average
11. July - 16.2% fewer deals than average
12. June - 16.9% fewer deals than average

"New car shoppers are likely holding out for the next model year vehicles, which come out in late summer and early fall," Brauer said in a statement. "As a result, they aren't trading in their used cars so inventory is lower than normal."

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