In a rare reversal, car sales provided a boost to the government fleet market in September 2026, more than doubling from the same month last year even as overall sales declined.

Government agencies purchased 83 cars during the month, up from 39 in September 2025. The additional 44 units produced a 112.8% year-over-year increase, although cars remained a small share of government fleet purchases (The six major Asian-based automakers did not report any government fleet numbers for April).

Trucks and SUVs continued to account for nearly all monthly volume, with 20,567 units sold. That was 4.7% below the 21,577 units reported a year earlier, bringing total September sales down 4.5% to 20,650 vehicles.

Year-to-date results remained positive despite the monthly decline. Government fleet sales reached 185,415 vehicles through September, up 2.4% from the same period in 2025. Trucks and SUVs drove that gain, while year-to-date car sales remained 65.8% lower.