Photo: Honda Canada. 2026 Honda Civic Sedan exterior styling.
Canadian Black Book’s Used Vehicle Retention Index for August 2026 sits at 127.5 points, versus 127.9 in July. Year over year the index decreased 7.6%. CBB said the index has declined about 4.5% since the beginning of the year, and that five years ago August sat at essentially the same level — without today’s expectation that values would keep rising. Canadian Black Book
What it means: This is the monthly picture behind last week’s nearly flat wholesale print I covered on September 11. A 0.4-point step is easing, not a crash. The index is wholesale average value on two- to six-year-old used vehicles as a percent of original typically equipped MSRP, weighted by registrations and adjusted for season, age, kilometres and condition. It is not a Civic-specific dollar. I will not invent one.
Daniel Ross at CBB said downward pressure on used values is likely to continue, and he also said the decline this year should be less severe than the roughly 4% drop in the second half of 2025. On the lot that reads as: your 2022 or 2023 Civic is not going to double, and it is not going to vanish. The useful check is still the VIN in front of you — kilometres, options, and service history on the CARFAX report — then a written appraisal next to a written September Honda quote. Honda Canada still has not posted August retail units, which I already flagged on September 9. Do not fill that silence with a guessed trade number.
My prediction: By December 12, 2026, Canadian Black Book’s latest published Used Vehicle Retention Index will still be at or below 127.5. I will be wrong if a later monthly print is above 127.5.
If you're buying right now: If you are trading a 2021–2024 Civic or CR-V into a new Honda this month, get the appraisal in writing on that VIN. I keep a standing Ontario walkthrough at Honda trade-in value in Ontario so you can see what actually moves the number before you argue with a 0.4-point index.
Quick answers
What is the Canadian Black Book used retention index for August 2026?
Canadian Black Book’s August 2026 Used Vehicle Retention Index is 127.5 points, compared with 127.9 in July. Year over year the index decreased 7.6%. CBB said the index has declined about 4.5% since the beginning of the year.
Does a lower retention index mean my Civic trade just collapsed?
No. A 0.4-point monthly move is a small step, not a crash. The index measures wholesale average value of two- to six-year-old used vehicles as a percent of original typically equipped MSRP. Your number is still the specific year, kilometres, options and CARFAX service-history entries on the car in front of you.
Should I wait to trade my Honda because used values are under pressure?
Not on this print alone. CBB said downward pressure on used values is likely to continue, and it also said the decline this year should be less severe than the roughly 4% drop in the second half of 2025. Get a written appraisal on the VIN you have, then compare it to a written September Honda quote.
Trading a Civic off this print?
Send the year, kilometres and the appraisal you already heard. I will tell you whether that number matches the car, or whether a different Honda on the lot is the cleaner move — without pretending 127.5 is your cheque.
Henry Chen
Sales and Leasing Executive, Maple Honda
89 Auto Vaughan Dr, Maple, ON L6A 4A1
647-523-6878 · henry@maplehonda.com
Canadian Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index for August 2026, published September 3, 2026. Predictions are my personal read, not Honda Canada or Canadian Black Book policy.
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