According to Cox Automotive, May's US light vehicle market sales pace will finish near to an annualised 16.1 million units level, up from April's 15.9 million level.

Sales volume is expected by the company to rise to 1.48 million units, mostly unchanged from May 2025 but 7% higher than last month.

Cox says the US new vehicle market is proving to be resilient, as affluent households shake off economic uncertainty and inflationary pressure of higher fuel costs.

Although fuel prices in the US are sharply higher and consumer sentiment is at historic lows, the analysts at Cox note that the stock market has returned to record highs and say the auto market is likely still benefitting from this year's larger tax refunds and tax benefits.

"May sales appear to be holding up despite significant economic uncertainty," Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough said.

"New vehicle buyers today are more affluent than ever, so they may not be as impacted by inflationary pressures as much as other consumers who are more acutely feeling the sharply higher fuel costs. If the economy and stock market can remain on this growing but volatile path, new vehicle sales will likely follow. However, those are two large necessities during extremely volatile times."