Car payments squeeze Americans as auto debt hits $1.68 trillion, report finds

Fuel prices are displayed on a sign as a customer fills their vehicle at a gas station on April 13, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Auto debt is becoming a bigger problem for consumers , a new report shows. Total auto debt reached $1.68 trillion at the end of 2025 — a 37% increase since late 2018, when the debt was at $1.23 trillion, according to a new analysis by The Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank, and Protect Borrowers, a consumer advocacy group, provided …