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The Global Insight

Are used cars elastic or inelastic?

Author

Christopher Davis

Updated on February 23, 2026

For example, the demand for automobiles would, in the short term, be somewhat elastic, as the purchase of a new vehicle can often be delayed. The demand for a specific model automobile would likely be highly elastic, because there are so many substitutes.

What is the price elasticity of demand for cars?

Price elasticity of demand is defined as the percentage change in the quantity demanded due to the percentage change in the price (Willis, 1991, p. 91). According to a research, car price is considered elastic as cars have an elasticity of demand of 1.8 on average (Bordley and McDonald, 1993).

Is the demand for luxury cars elastic or inelastic?

Compared to essential goods, luxury items are highly elastic. Goods with many alternatives or competitors are elastic because, as the price of the good rises, consumers shift purchases to substitute items. Incomes and elasticity are related—as consumer incomes increase, demand for products increases as well.

Does gasoline have an elastic demand?

Your demand for gasoline is relatively elastic. You need gasoline, and therefore your demand for it is relatively inelastic. If there are few substitutes for a product, the demand for it is relatively inelastic.

Why Chevrolet cars are very elastic?

What factors would likely explain why Chevrolet cars are very elastic? Chevrolet cars would be very elastic because we don’t have to buy that brand of car – we have lots of substitutes.

How is the demand for cars related to the law of demand?

The demand for automobiles is a piece of a larger market: the demand for transportation in general. As the price of a particular car increases, the law of demand tells us that the quantity demanded of that car will decrease. There are three kinds of substitution at work here.

Which is an example of demand for transportation?

From this perspective, your demand for a car is really a demand for transportation. The decision to buy a car is best understood as an example of unit demand. Most households—even if they own more than one car—do not buy a large number of cars at a time. Instead, they buy a single car.

How is the used car market related to new car sales?

With 45% of new car sales relying on a trade-in as part of the financial equation, the used car market is linked to the overall sales environment for restocking of its inventory.

Who is the CEO of the used car market?

As car dealerships across the U.S. were put under lockdowns, the Buffalo, New York-based used car market technology company, which works with franchise and independent car dealers, was in a situation its CEO George Chamoun now recalls as “a bit scary.”