Auto loan serious delinquency rate (90+ days)
The share of every dollar owed on U.S. auto loans and leases that is reported at least 90 days past due.
How high is auto loan delinquency now?
5.49% of the dollars owed on auto loans, not of the people who owe them, were at least 90 days past due in the second quarter of 2026, down from the 5.60% peak in the first quarter of 2026. It has been higher than a year earlier for three straight years, though it dipped from that peak.
What it means for households: Auto Loan Delinquency Statistics Behind on a car payment? How repossession works
How the auto loan delinquency rate has moved since 2003
Late auto loan payments are near a record high
Share of U.S. auto loan balances 90+ days late: 5.49% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 4.99% a year earlier. Quarterly, 2003–2026.
What the auto loan delinquency rate measures
The auto loan delinquency rate is the share of all auto loan and lease dollars on Americans’ credit reports that is at least 90 days past due.
A big loan counts more than a small one, because the rate is a share of dollars, not of borrowers.
The rate can rise even when fewer people fall behind, because a loan that was charged off stays in it for as long as the lender keeps reporting it.
A higher rate is worse for households.
How auto loan delinquency feeds the American Distress Index
The American Distress Index (ADI) is our quarterly 0–100 score of how much financial strain U.S. households are under. Late payments are one of its five equal parts, and the auto loan delinquency rate is one of the four late-payment measures inside that part.
In the second quarter of 2026, the auto loan delinquency rate was higher than in 98% of the quarters since 2003, so it pushed the score up. The index stood at 47.0, which we call Typical.
Auto loan delinquency rate by quarter, 2003 to 2026
| Quarter | Rate (%) | Change from a year earlier (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 5.49 | +0.50 |
| Q1 2026 | 5.60 | +0.61 |
| Q4 2025 | 5.21 | +0.38 |
| Q3 2025 | 5.02 | +0.43 |
| Q2 2025 | 4.99 | +0.56 |
| Q1 2025 | 4.99 | +0.58 |
| Q4 2024 | 4.83 | +0.66 |
| Q3 2024 | 4.59 | +0.68 |
| Q2 2024 | 4.43 | +0.61 |
| Q1 2024 | 4.41 | +0.52 |
| Q4 2023 | 4.17 | +0.44 |
| Q3 2023 | 3.91 | +0.02 |
| Q2 2023 | 3.82 | −0.04 |
| Q1 2023 | 3.89 | −0.11 |
| Q4 2022 | 3.73 | −0.25 |
| Q3 2022 | 3.89 | −0.16 |
| Q2 2022 | 3.86 | −0.49 |
| Q1 2022 | 4.00 | −0.79 |
| Q4 2021 | 3.98 | −0.79 |
| Q3 2021 | 4.05 | −0.77 |
| Q2 2021 | 4.35 | −0.68 |
| Q1 2021 | 4.79 | −0.26 |
| Q4 2020 | 4.77 | −0.17 |
| Q3 2020 | 4.82 | +0.11 |
| Q2 2020 | 5.03 | +0.39 |
| Q1 2020 | 5.05 | +0.36 |
| Q4 2019 | 4.94 | +0.47 |
| Q3 2019 | 4.71 | +0.44 |
| Q2 2019 | 4.64 | +0.47 |
| Q1 2019 | 4.69 | +0.43 |
| Q4 2018 | 4.47 | +0.42 |
| Q3 2018 | 4.27 | +0.30 |
| Q2 2018 | 4.17 | +0.25 |
| Q1 2018 | 4.26 | +0.44 |
| Q4 2017 | 4.05 | +0.30 |
| Q3 2017 | 3.97 | +0.39 |
| Q2 2017 | 3.92 | +0.46 |
| Q1 2017 | 3.82 | +0.30 |
| Q4 2016 | 3.75 | +0.38 |
| Q3 2016 | 3.58 | +0.22 |
| Q2 2016 | 3.46 | +0.10 |
| Q1 2016 | 3.52 | +0.18 |
| Q4 2015 | 3.37 | −0.10 |
| Q3 2015 | 3.36 | +0.22 |
| Q2 2015 | 3.36 | +0.09 |
| Q1 2015 | 3.34 | +0.02 |
| Q4 2014 | 3.47 | +0.12 |
| Q3 2014 | 3.14 | −0.23 |
| Q2 2014 | 3.27 | −0.30 |
| Q1 2014 | 3.32 | −0.60 |
| Q4 2013 | 3.35 | −0.68 |
| Q3 2013 | 3.37 | −0.88 |
| Q2 2013 | 3.57 | −0.67 |
| Q1 2013 | 3.92 | −0.63 |
| Q4 2012 | 4.03 | −0.79 |
| Q3 2012 | 4.25 | −0.78 |
| Q2 2012 | 4.24 | −0.75 |
| Q1 2012 | 4.55 | −0.54 |
| Q4 2011 | 4.82 | −0.45 |
| Q3 2011 | 5.03 | +0.20 |
| Q2 2011 | 4.99 | +0.15 |
| Q1 2011 | 5.09 | +0.08 |
| Q4 2010 | 5.27 | +0.35 |
| Q3 2010 | 4.83 | +0.15 |
| Q2 2010 | 4.84 | +0.37 |
| Q1 2010 | 5.01 | +0.66 |
| Q4 2009 | 4.92 | +0.98 |
| Q3 2009 | 4.68 | +1.04 |
| Q2 2009 | 4.47 | +1.21 |
| Q1 2009 | 4.35 | +1.13 |
| Q4 2008 | 3.94 | +0.89 |
| Q3 2008 | 3.64 | +0.88 |
| Q2 2008 | 3.26 | +0.72 |
| Q1 2008 | 3.22 | +0.63 |
| Q4 2007 | 3.05 | +0.43 |
| Q3 2007 | 2.76 | +0.18 |
| Q2 2007 | 2.54 | +0.32 |
| Q1 2007 | 2.59 | +0.44 |
| Q4 2006 | 2.62 | +0.53 |
| Q3 2006 | 2.58 | +0.55 |
| Q2 2006 | 2.22 | +0.23 |
| Q1 2006 | 2.15 | −0.23 |
| Q4 2005 | 2.09 | −0.33 |
| Q3 2005 | 2.03 | −0.24 |
| Q2 2005 | 1.99 | −0.18 |
| Q1 2005 | 2.38 | +0.06 |
| Q4 2004 | 2.42 | +0.26 |
| Q3 2004 | 2.27 | +0.11 |
| Q2 2004 | 2.17 | −0.09 |
| Q1 2004 | 2.32 | −0.01 |
| Q4 2003 | 2.16 | — |
| Q3 2003 | 2.16 | — |
| Q2 2003 | 2.26 | — |
| Q1 2003 | 2.33 | — |
Quarterly · New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax
Counties with the highest delinquency scores
There's no county figure for this measure, so this list uses the delinquency part of our County Distress Index.
| Rank | County | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coahoma County, MS | 100 |
| 2 | Washington County, MS | 99.9 |
| 3 | Yazoo County, MS | 99.7 |
| 4 | Apache County, AZ | 99.6 |
| 5 | Bolivar County, MS | 99.5 |
| 6 | Dallas County, AL | 99.4 |
| 7 | Williamsburg County, SC | 99.3 |
| 8 | Panola County, MS | 99 |
| 9 | Uvalde County, TX | 99 |
| 10 | Neshoba County, MS | 98.9 |
Questions about auto loan delinquency
What is the current auto loan delinquency rate?
In the second quarter of 2026, 5.49% of auto loan and lease balances were 90 or more days past due, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, up from 4.99% a year earlier.
Is auto loan delinquency at a record high?
No. At 5.49% in the second quarter of 2026, it is the second highest of 94 quarterly figures since 2003. The highest was 5.60%, in the first quarter of 2026.
What does the auto loan delinquency rate measure?
The share of the money owed on auto loans and leases that is 90 or more days late, or written off as bad. It counts dollars, not people.
Where does auto loan delinquency data come from?
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports it every quarter in its Household Debt and Credit Report, built from a random sample of Equifax credit reports.
Sources and method for the auto loan delinquency rate
- New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax The rate is the share of auto loan dollars on credit reports, from the New York Fed’s Consumer Credit Panel with Equifax data, that is at least 90 days past due. We use the quarterly figures as published, from the first quarter of 2003 through the second quarter of 2026, with no adjustment of our own. The New York Fed doesn’t adjust this rate for the season, so compare a quarter with the same quarter a year earlier. The New York Fed’s report
- American Default Research · American Distress Index American Default Research uses this rate in the American Distress Index.
We write with assistance from AI tools. Figures come from the data and sources named on this page.