What’s the Best New-Car Deal for the End of 2022?

If your New Year’s resolution for 2022 was to upgrade to a new car, finding the vehicle you want may be less of a headache now than it has been through most of the year.  That’s because production improvements are slowly starting to materialize into increased inventory on dealer lots, according to Tyson Jominy, J.D. Power’s vice president of data and analytics.

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

“The industry just capped off its third straight month of deliveries to retailers over 1 million, so not much of a surprise that inventory also topped 1 million for three straight months,” wrote Jominy in an email to Cars.com. “There’s currently 37 days of retail inventory on the ground, which is up from 18 days this summer.”

Another promising sign is the decline of new-car markups — 51% of consumers in November paid over sticker, down from 68% over the summer, Jominy noted. But while year’s end is no longer a gold mine for deals, shoppers can still ring in the new year with a new ride and thousands of dollars in savings with the four vehicles featured below, which join the four best new-car deals for December featured in the related link above. Read on for details.

2022 Dodge Charger

• Factory discount: $1,000-$2,500
• Approximate price after savings: $31,500-$49,000
• Approximate factory savings: 2%-7%
• Offer ends: Jan. 3, 2023

Muscle car shoppers can kick off 2023 with a 300-horsepower bang and up to $2,500 off a new 2022 Dodge Charger, in its penultimate year as a gas-powered sedan before Dodge goes electric with it. If saving some green is a priority, the 2022 Charger’s SXT and GT trims bring cash discounts between $1,000 and $2,500 to close out the year. In place of cash-only deals, qualified shoppers who finance with Dodge parent automaker Stellantis can get a special rate of 7.26% for 60 months with up to $2,500 in bonus cash for the regions we surveyed. The aforementioned discounts are trim- and region-dependent, but all of them run through Jan. 3.

2022 Jeep Compass

• Factory discount: $500-$2,000
• Approximate price after savings: $28,000-$42,000
• Approximate factory savings: 2%-6%
• Offer ends: Jan. 3, 2023

One of the smallest SUVs in Jeep’s stable is packing some of the heftiest cash discounts in the final weeks of the year. Updated for 2022 with new tech and cabin refinements, the Compass also brings discounts ranging from $500 to $2,000 based on trim and region. Included in the savings are the compact SUV’s Sport, Latitude, Altitude, Latitude Lux, Limited, Trailhawk, Red and High Altitude trims, and finding the right one for you should be a realistic goal — 2022 models made up 98% of all new Compass inventory among Cars.com dealers as of November. Those who opt to finance through Stellantis can swap the cash-only deals for a 1.9% rate for 36 months and as much as $1,500 bonus cash in the regions we surveyed. All deals are available through Jan. 3.

2022 Jeep Gladiator

• Factory discount: $1,500-$4,250
• Approximate price after savings: $34,500-$66,500
• Approximate factory savings: 2%-11%
• Offer ends: Jan. 3, 2023

If your New Year’s resolution is to break with routine and take more impromptu adventures, the 2022 Jeep Gladiator may be the best choice on this list. With a standard 285-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 or optional 260-hp, 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 under the hood and standard four-wheel drive, the Gladiator marries the Wrangler SUV’s off-road prowess with the capability of a mid-size pickup truck. Apart from a new Freedom special edition, the Gladiator doesn’t see many changes for 2023, so shoppers can feel confident going with a 2022 model that brings cash discounts of $1,500-$4,250 in most regions we surveyed. More good news is that 2022 variants are still hanging around, accounting for 57% of all new models among Cars.com dealers. As with the preceding vehicles, shoppers can swap the cash-only deal for a special financing rate from Stellantis: 7.26% for 60 months with up to $4,500 in bonus cash, trim and region depending. The cash and financing offers are good through Jan. 3.

Editor’s Choice: 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

• Factory discount: $1,000-$4,500
• Approximate price after savings: $40,000-$75,500
• Approximate factory savings: 1%-7%
• Offer ends: Jan. 3, 2023

The Grand Cherokee was redesigned in 2022 and returns for 2023 with few changes and substantial discounts to cap off the year. The redesign brought notable improvements like a spacious, high-end interior and more standard safety features. Under the hood is a base 293-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 or an available 357-hp V-8 that’s standard on higher trims. Despite a notable price bump from 2022, shoppers can still come out ahead on a 2023 model with cash savings of up to $4,500 depending on trim and region. As with the rest on this list, those who finance with Stellantis can trade the cash-only offers for financing of 7.26% for 60 months with up to $4,500 in bonus cash — and as with the rest, all deals run through Jan. 3.

More From Cars.com:

• Inventory Shortage Update: Should You Wait to Buy a Car?
• 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review: Grander Across the Board
• 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Goes High-Tech, Gets Hybrid
• Jeep Gladiator: Which Should You Buy, 2021 or 2022?
• 2023 Dodge Challenger, Charger Orders Open, Prices Start From Low $30,000s

How We Look for Deals

To help car shoppers find the best deals to close out 2022, 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 but 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. 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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