US Household Auto Loan Balances (NY Fed)

## What this measures

Auto loan and lease balances owed by US households at the end of each quarter, in trillions of dollars, across all lenders reporting to the credit bureau: banks, credit unions and auto finance companies.

## Why it matters

Vehicle debt is the most common installment loan in the country and the one most sensitive to rates and car prices. Its growth tracks both vehicle demand and how far households are willing to stretch to buy.

## How to read it

Read the quarterly change. A rising balance with falling delinquency is healthy credit growth; a rising balance with rising delinquency is strain. Pair it with the auto delinquency and serious-delinquency flow series from the same report.

## What it does not say

It does not separate new from used vehicles or show loan terms and rates. It is a nominal stock, so car-price inflation alone lifts it.

## Source

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit (NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax), data workbook Page 3. Palanor downloads the workbook each quarter; every release carries the full history from 2003. Replaces FRED MVLOAS, which the Federal Reserve discontinued in 2024.