How Much Below MSRP Is a Good Deal?
Skip the folklore — here's the distribution from 3,233 verified buyer-paid deals: the median buyer got 6% off MSRP ($3,349 average saved), the top quartile got 8.4% or better, and only 1% paid over sticker. A "good deal" is simply beating the median for your brand.
By the CarWhere Research Team · Verified transaction data · Updated 2026-07-06
The benchmark, in one table
| Outcome | Share of verified buyers |
|---|---|
| Paid over MSRP | 1% |
| $0–$1,000 | 15.4% |
| $1,000–$3,000 | 35% |
| $3,000–$6,000 | 34.7% |
| $6,000+ | 14% |
Savings vs MSRP on the vehicle price. Verified CarWhere buyer deals.
What "good" means by brand
Average verified discount off MSRP by make (40+ deals each). Beat your brand's average and you're ahead of the market; match the top-quartile 8.4% and you're in great shape.
| Brand | Avg % off MSRP | Avg $ saved | Verified deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ram | 9.6% | $7,361 | 152 |
| Ford | 7.5% | $4,583 | 170 |
| Volkswagen | 7.3% | $3,048 | 255 |
| Audi | 7.2% | $4,170 | 173 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 7.2% | $4,450 | 161 |
| Chevrolet | 6.8% | $4,537 | 262 |
| GMC | 6.8% | $4,686 | 207 |
| Honda | 5.8% | $2,120 | 493 |
| Mazda | 5.8% | $2,027 | 146 |
| BMW | 5.4% | $3,358 | 363 |
| Toyota | 4.7% | $2,181 | 616 |
| Lexus | 3% | $2,070 | 68 |
| Kia | 2.4% | $913 | 75 |
How to use these numbers
Treat the brand average as your floor, not your target. Quotes move most at month-end and on aging inventory; the discount is also only half the math — a strong percentage can be clawed back through doc fees and add-ons, so judge the out-the-door price, and compare it against real transactions for the exact model rather than a national average.
Benchmark your exact car.
See what buyers actually paid for your model and year, read the full negotiation savings study behind these numbers, and total the real cost with the out-the-door calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much below MSRP is a good deal?
Benchmark against real transactions: across 3,233 verified buyer-paid deals, the median discount is 6% off MSRP and the top quartile got 8.4% or better. So roughly: 6% off is an average outcome, 8.4%+ is a strong deal, and anything at or over MSRP is below market on all but a handful of allocation-limited models. The right target depends heavily on brand — see the by-make table.
What percent off MSRP can you negotiate by brand?
Verified-deal averages: the softest pricing runs Ram 9.6%, Ford 7.5%, Volkswagen 7.3%, Audi 7.2%, Mercedes-Benz 7.2%; the firmest: Kia 2.4%, Lexus 3%, Toyota 4.7%, BMW 5.4%, Mazda 5.8%. High-demand brands transact close to sticker, while domestic and luxury-volume brands carry much deeper room.
Is paying MSRP ever okay?
Only when the market says so. In the verified data just 1% of buyers paid over MSRP, concentrated in allocation-limited models. For everything else, sticker is the ceiling, not the price — 84% of buyers saved $1,000 or more.
How do I know the real number for MY car?
Look up the exact model at carwhere.com/what-people-paid — verified buyer-paid prices by model and year — and compare your quote. Percentages here are market-wide; a specific trim in a specific month can run hotter or colder, and the CarWhere index applies discounts as a percent of the subject car's own MSRP.
Does the discount include rebates and incentives?
The figures measure the gap between MSRP and the agreed vehicle price on verified quotes and deals, which typically blends dealer discount and advertised incentives. Financing terms, add-ons, and doc fees sit outside that number — which is why the out-the-door price, not the discount alone, decides whether the deal is actually good.