Subject: If people knew they were underwater
...how many people would simply hand over the keys, and walk away?

Underwater and Sinking Deeper: The Average Amount Owed on Upside-Down Auto Loans Climbed to an All-Time High of $6,905, According to Edmunds

More than one in four new vehicle trade-ins are underwater, a four-year high. 28.1% of trade-ins toward new-car purchases had negative equity, up from 26.6% in Q2 2025 and 24.2% in Q1 2025. This is the highest share Edmunds has on record since Q1 2021, when 31.9% of new-car trade-ins were upside down.

Americans with upside-down car loans owe more than ever. The average amount owed on upside-down loans hit a record $6,905 in Q3, edging past the previous high of $6,880 set in Q1 2025.

Nearly one in three underwater car owners owe between $5,000 and $10,000 in debt — a new record high. 32.9% of negative-equity trade-ins fell into this range in Q3, up from 32.6% in Q2 and continuing a steady climb since last year.

A record share of underwater car loans are carrying five-figure debt. Nearly one in four (24.7%) trade-ins with negative equity carried more than $10,000 in debt in Q3, surpassing the previous high of 24.6% set in Q4 2024. Another 8.3% of trade-ins with negative equity carried more than $15,000 in debt, up from 7.7% in Q2 2025.

https://www.edmunds.com/indust...

Of course, if they turned in their keys, how do they get to work? The Detroit burb I live in has zero public transit, as a for instance. Meanwhile, automakers pay lip service to "affordable" cars, while cutting their lower priced models to juice their ATP and GP.

Steve