Ford Motor vehicles are displayed for sale at the Leif Johnson Ford dealership on June 30 in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Stay up to date with our Up First newsletter, sent every weekday morning.

The average transaction cost for a new vehicle has reached a record high: $51,109. That's according to a report out today from the Kelley Blue Book, which is part of the analytics firm Cox Automotive.

That's about $500 above the last record , set in December 2025.

Car prices have been stubbornly high for years, especially since the pandemic, mainly driven by supply chain issues.…