Regular car payments hit a new document high in Could, averaging $712, according to a new report from Cox Automotive & Moody’s Analytics.

The determine marks a 1.7 % boost and signifies a declining trend in new vehicle affordability, the report notes.

New car affordability is drastically down from this time last calendar year. In May well, the normal selection of months of cash flow required for a person to obtain a new motor vehicle was 19 % increased than it was in May perhaps of 2021 — 41.3 months in May 2022, compared to 40.8 months in April 2022.

Brian Moody, govt editor for Kelley Blue Book, told ABC News that new automobile purchasers “are likely to be having to pay more” than the manufacturer’s prompt retail price suitable now mainly because of an unequal supply and need ratio.

Interest costs and car rates are also increasing at a fee that outpaces cash flow growth, notes the Cox and Moody’s report.

New automobile payments are increasing as gasoline selling prices across the nation are also hitting report highs, thanks in portion to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.

Past 7 days, the nationwide typical for fuel rates climbed to $5.01, pretty much $2 per gallon a lot more than this time final yr, according to AAA.

In an exertion to combat inflation, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday elevated the country’s curiosity price by 3-quarters of a p.c, the major a person-time raise due to the fact 1994.