What’s the Best New-Car Deal for Black Friday 2022?

Just one day after celebrating a holiday that reminds us to give thanks for what we have, we turn our attention to a holiday that reminds us to find stuff we don’t have. The typical Black Friday scene can resemble the Wild West with jam-packed parking lots, mile-long lines and unruly shoppers. Traditionally, shoppers could avoid the mayhem and still walk away with a good deal on a new car during the holidays, but that’s changed in recent years as car shopping has transformed into its own version of the Wild West.

Related: What’s the Best New-Car Deal for November 2022?

Record-high average prices, sparse inventory and scaled-back incentives mean getting a deal on a new car can be a struggle. According to J.D. Power’s latest sales forecast, nearly half of all new cars are selling above MSRP, and the average incentive per vehicle is just $882, or 1.9% off MSRP. Before scrapping your Black Friday car-shopping plans entirely, however, consider that your trade-in value could be more than you think: According to J.D. Power, the estimated trade-in value for October was $9,297 — more than double the pre-pandemic average.

Additionally, a few vehicles are bucking the trend with higher-than-average incentives through the holiday. The trio of sedans and an SUV below join the SUVs and pickup trucks highlighted in our overall November deals roundup linked above to offer shoppers even more budget-friendly options. Read on for details.

2022 Chevrolet Malibu

• Factory discount: $1,000
• Approximate price after savings: $23,500-$39,000
• Approximate factory savings: 3%-4%
• Offer ends: Nov. 30

The mid-size Malibu is the last sedan standing in Chevrolet’s stable, which now is mainly occupied by SUVs and pickup trucks. The body style’s lack of popularity does, however, make the Malibu ripe for savings: Those interested should note the 2022 model brings $1,000 in cash savings across its LS, RS, LT and Premium trims in all regions we surveyed. In lieu of that, shoppers who finance with Chevy parent automaker GM can swap the cash savings for a rate of 4.29% for 60 months. Both deals are available through Nov. 30.

2022 Dodge Charger

• Factory discount: $1,000-$3,500
• Approximate price after savings: $30,500-$49,000
• Approximate factory savings: 2%-10%
• Offer ends: Nov. 30

If the kid you’re shopping for this Black Friday is you and your dream toy is a muscle car, the 2022 Dodge Charger should make the list this weekend. The Charger’s lower SXT and GT trims pack up to $3,500 in cash savings depending on the region — but just because they’re the Charger’s lowest trims doesn’t mean they’re hard to find, as together, they make up over half of all new 2022 Chargers among Cars.com dealers as of this writing. Shoppers who finance with Dodge parent Stellaris can forgo the cash-only deals in favor of 6.49% financing for 60 months in addition to as much as $3,500 in bonus cash. Although Dodge has plans to electrify its muscle cars, the SXT and GT still run on gas for now with a 292-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engine under the hood; if getting one equipped for fossil fuels is your bag, consider the above deals run through Nov. 30.

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

• Factory discount: $1,000-$3,000
• Approximate price after savings: $42,000-$75,500
• Approximate factory savings: 1%-6%
• Offer ends: Nov. 30

Redesigned for 2022, the Jeep Grand Cherokee now offers a high-quality interior, more safety features, the latest version of the Uconnect 5 multimedia system, and standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For the year-end holidays, the 2023 Grand Cherokee also brings savings of up to $3,000, region- and trim-dependent. Qualified shoppers who finance with Jeep parent Stellantis can get financing of 6.49% for 60 months with up to $3,000 in bonus cash instead of the cash-only deals. All offers are available through Nov. 30.

Editor’s Choice: 2023 Hyundai Elantra

• Factory discount: $750
• Approximate price after savings: $21,000-$27,500
• Approximate factory savings: 3%
• Offer ends: Jan. 3, 2023

The Hyundai Elantra is one of the most affordable cars on the market, and a modest year-end cash deal on the model-year 2023 variant secures its title as Editor’s Choice for Black Friday. The Elantra makes a good pick for bargain hunters thanks to $750 in cash savings across all regions we surveyed on trims of the standard 2023 Elantra. Elsewhere in the nameplate’s lineup, the higher-performance Elantra N comes with reduced cash savings of $500; the Elantra Hybrid sadly is excluded from discounts through November. Qualified shoppers who finance with Hyundai can skip the cash offer in favor of a 0% rate for 36 months. All cash and finance offers are good through Jan. 3, 2023.

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How We Look for Deals

To help car shoppers find the best deals for Black Friday, we lead with cash offers available to shoppers at large, not those that require financing with the automaker or having certain qualifications (e.g., military or college-graduate discounts, loyalty or conquest bonuses). In calculating the overall percentage discount and pricing after incentives, we focus on the vehicle’s price range from the cheapest incentives-eligible trim level with no factory options to the priciest eligible trim with all factory options. We include the destination charge in such pricing, but we exclude a few other items: taxes and fees, which vary considerably by region, and dealer accessories, which vary considerably by automaker.

Because these are factory discounts, they should be available to all participating dealers. As such, use them as the starting point for negotiations, not a reason to skip haggling altogether.

Incentives data come from automakers’ websites, while days-to-turn data come from Cars.com inventory. Remember, our numbers are current as of publication for the markets we survey (generally Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York). They reflect advertised customer discounts, not unadvertised factory-to-dealer cash. Discount financing typically requires qualifying credit, too, and incentives may vary by region and trim level; automakers may also change them later in the month. In sum: Your discounts may vary, so check with your local dealer for specifics.

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Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.