Why Is the Ford Bronco So Expensive?
By the CarWhere Research Team · Updated November 14, 2026 · Built from our resale value study, verified buyer deals, used listing prices, reliability and longevity data
Why is the Bronco so expensive?
The Bronco is expensive mostly because it holds its value: CarWhere data shows a 3-year-old (2023) Bronco lists for 73.4% of today's median new price vs 60.8% for midsize SUVs, and new ones sold for 89.5% of MSRP at the median in our verified deals.
Updated November 2026 · Sources: Depreciation study · Bronco price & deals · Used prices
Value kept at 3 yrs
73.4%
vs 60.8% for midsize SUVs
Paid vs MSRP
89.5%
median of 6 verified deals
Used median
$43,280
11,406 listings
Resale: the Bronco vs other midsize SUVs
A 3-year-old (2023) Bronco lists for a median $41,832 at 35,531 miles, 73.4% of the $56,969 median price of a new one today. The average across 13 other midsize SUVs is 60.8%, which puts the Bronco 1 of 14.
A 5-year-old (2021) Bronco lists for a median $35,447 at 51,903 miles, 62.2% of the $56,969 median price of a new one today. The average across 11 other midsize SUVs is 46.3%, which puts the Bronco 1 of 12.
High resale cuts both ways: owners lose less when they sell, but used shoppers pay more, which keeps new prices firm. Full year-by-year curve: Bronco depreciation by model year.
| # | Model | 5-year value retained |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Bronco | 62.2% |
| 2 | Toyota 4Runner | 61.2% |
| 3 | Toyota Highlander | 52.7% |
| 4 | Honda Passport | 49.9% |
| 5 | Honda Pilot | 46.6% |
| 6 | Hyundai Palisade | 45.1% |
| 7 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 44.4% |
| 8 | Ford Explorer | 43.2% |
| 9 | Volkswagen Atlas | 42.4% |
| 10 | Chevrolet Traverse | 41.8% |
| 11 | Subaru Ascent | 41.1% |
| 12 | Kia Telluride | 40.4% |
Retained = median asking price of a 5-year-old example ÷ median price of the same model new today. CarWhere listings study, October 25, 2026.
What buyers actually pay vs sticker
Across 6 verified new Bronco purchases CarWhere collected from December 2025 to June 2026, the median buyer paid 89.5% of MSRP, or 10.5% ($5,500) off. The middle half of deals landed between 6.9% and 11.9% off. No buyer in the sample paid more than sticker.
So markups aren't the main story for the Bronco in our data. Most buyers paid below sticker.
| Model year | Deals | Median off MSRP | Median MSRP | Paid over sticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 11.9% | $49,600 | 0.0% |
Trim-by-trim prices and the full deal breakdown: Bronco price. Browse every verified deal at What People Paid.
The used-price floor
As of November 7, 2026, the median used Bronco lists for $43,280 (middle half $38,371–$50,323) across 11,406 dealer listings, at a median 24,316 miles.
The floor is high: the cheapest model year by median price is the 2021 at $35,012 with 51,886 miles.
| Model year | Listings | Median price | Median miles | % of new today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,562 | $48,160 | 5,532 | — |
| 2025 | 2,413 | $47,989 | 13,634 | 84.4% |
| 2024 | 2,412 | $46,235 | 22,078 | 82.2% |
| 2023 | 2,508 | $41,447 | 35,467 | 73.4% |
| 2022 | 1,725 | $36,998 | 47,052 | 65.8% |
| 2021 | 786 | $35,012 | 51,886 | 62.2% |
Median asking prices of used and certified listings at US dealers, November 7, 2026. % of new today is from the October 25, 2026 depreciation study. Years with fewer than 50 listings are left out.
Used price by trim
| Trim | Listings | Median used price | Newest MSRP we hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raptor | 1,123 | $68,980 | — |
| Badlands | 2,191 | $47,375 | — |
| Wildtrak | 1,363 | $44,991 | — |
| Outer Banks | 2,536 | $41,808 | — |
| Big Bend | 2,750 | $39,729 | — |
Trims with 100+ listings. Used medians mix model years, so compare them to each other more than to the new MSRP.
State-by-state and year-by-year detail: used Bronco prices.
Reliability and how long it lasts
- Years to avoid: 2022, 2023.
- NHTSA lists 53 recall campaigns across Bronco model years in our recall dataset.
How to pay less for a Bronco
- Aim for about 11.9% off MSRP before rebates. That's the CarWhere Index target from 6 verified deals (December 2025–June 2026), about $6,900 on the average $58,000 sticker in our sample. The median buyer got 10.5% off.
- Skip 2022 and 2023: they're on our years-to-avoid list for the Bronco, based on NHTSA complaints.
- The cheapest model year on the used market right now is 2021, at a median $35,012 with 51,886 miles.
See what other buyers paid, deal by deal, at What People Paid before you shop used.
How we got these numbers
- Resale. Median asking price of each model year in US dealer listings (licensed vehicle-data providers) divided by the median price of the same model new today; CarWhere depreciation study dated October 25, 2026. Segment averages exclude the Bronco itself and only include models with 50+ listings at that age.
- What buyers paid. Approved, de-duplicated CarWhere verified new-car purchases (leases excluded) with both MSRP and selling price, model year within one year of the purchase date. The target discount is the CarWhere Index: the 75th-percentile discount of the cleaned pool, before rebates.
- Used prices. Active used and certified listings at US dealers, stats only (no listing rows stored), November 7, 2026.
- Reliability. CarWhere's analysis of NHTSA owner complaints and recall campaigns, plus odometer readings from the lifespan study.
- Nothing here is projected or estimated: each figure is a median or count from the data above, dated where it appears.
FAQ
Why is the Bronco so expensive?
The Bronco is expensive mostly because it holds its value: CarWhere data shows a 3-year-old (2023) Bronco lists for 73.4% of today's median new price vs 60.8% for midsize SUVs, and new ones sold for 89.5% of MSRP at the median in our verified deals.
Does the Bronco hold its value?
In CarWhere's October 2026 listings study, a 5-year-old (2021) Bronco lists for a median $35,447 at 51,903 miles, 62.2% of the $56,969 median new price today. The average for midsize SUVs is 46.3%; the Bronco ranks 1 of 12.
Do dealers mark up the Bronco?
In 6 verified Bronco deals CarWhere collected between December 2025 and June 2026, the median buyer paid 10.5% below MSRP ($5,500). None paid more than sticker.
What's the cheapest used Bronco I can find?
In CarWhere's November 7, 2026 data, the lowest model-year median is the 2021 Bronco at $35,012 (51,886 miles).
Cite or embed this number
“The Bronco is expensive mostly because it holds its value: CarWhere data shows a 3-year-old (2023) Bronco lists for 73.4% of today's median new price vs 60.8% for midsize SUVs, and new ones sold for 89.5% of MSRP at the median in our verified deals.”
Source: CarWhere Research, “Why Is the Ford Bronco So Expensive?,” www.carwhere.com/research/why-so-expensive/ford/bronco. Journalists: free to quote with a link. Data downloads, methodology and the media kit are on the CarWhere press page.