What’s the Best New-Car Deal for Black Friday 2021?

Ongoing supply shortages amid a lingering COVID-19 pandemic would seem to lower the impetus to park yourself at the mall for Black Friday once the pumpkin pie is through, but that won’t stop some. Doing it at the local auto mall makes even less sense: With 60% fewer new vehicles moving through Cars.com dealers in October versus the same time the year before, inventory’s too scarce at many dealers to throw any sale event to speak of.

Related: What’s the Best New-Car Deal for November 2021?

On Oct. 27, J.D. Power pegged new-vehicle incentives at just 3.7% of MSRP, a record low. Still, we found a quartet of Black Friday deals bucking the trend. These are beyond our picks for November deals, linked above, which are also in effect through the post-Thanksgiving weekend. Between these two groups, you should have eight possibilities to choose from before December rolls around. If you’re late to the game, don’t fret; two of the deals below run through early January.

Ford EcoSport

• Factory discount: $0 to $1,000
• Approximate price after savings: $20,500 to $31,500
• Approximate factory savings: 0% to 5%
• Offer ends: Jan. 3, 2022

In half the regions we surveyed, Ford is offering $1,000 off the 2021 EcoSport, a model year that still accounted for 96% of new EcoSport inventory at Cars.com dealers as of this writing. Such discounts are less than what we’ve seen off Ford’s subcompact SUV in previous years, but the EcoSport’s affordable price — from the low $20,000s to the low $30,000s, including destination — makes this deal equivalent to around 3%-5% off. Alternatively, creditworthy shoppers can score 0% financing for 60 months, a deal we observed in all regions. Both the cash and financing deals run through Jan. 3, 2022, so if you’re stuck in food coma over the turkey-day weekend, you’ll still have a few weeks left to take advantage.

Honda Passport

• Factory discount: $1,250
• Approximate price after savings: $33,000 to $49,500
• Approximate factory savings: 2% to 4%
• Offer ends: Jan.  3, 2022

Ahead of a 2022 model arriving this winter with updated styling and Honda’s new TrailSport trim, the 2021 Passport features a factory-to-consumer cash discount, a rare move from Honda. The automaker’s mid-size SUV sports $1,250 off all trims in all regions we surveyed, bumping the net price down to anywhere from the low $30,000s to around $50,000; that’s good for about 2%-4% off the Passport. In lieu of that, credit-qualified consumers can get discount financing at rates from 0% (36 months) to 2.9% (72 months). Both deals end Jan. 3, 2022.

Jeep Renegade

• Factory discount: $1,250 to $4,000
• Approximate price after savings: $24,000 to $35,500
• Approximate factory savings: 4% to 14%
• Offer ends: Nov.  30

A regular denizen of our monthly deals coverage, the Renegade again has substantial discounts through the end of November. Typical of Jeep, deals vary widely by region, trim level and, in some cases, driveline. We found discounts of $1,250 to $4,000 depending on those factors, amounting to some 4%-14% off the subcompact SUV. That’s a steal of a deal in the current environment. In almost all cases, Jeep is offering another $500 off for those who finance at standard rates through parent company Stellantis (an amount excluded from the bullets above, as not all shoppers qualify). In lieu of all that, creditworthy shoppers can score a range of discount financing packages — 0% for 48 months in most cases, with 0.9% for 60 months or 1.9% for 72 months in select instances — plus $500 to $2,750 in bonus cash, depending on the region and vehicle specifics. All such deals expire Nov. 30.

Editor’s Choice: Buick Enclave

• Factory discount: $3,750
• Approximate price after savings: $37,500 to $60,000
• Approximate factory savings: 6% to 9%
• Offer ends: Nov. 30

The Enclave, a roomy three-row SUV with premium aspirations, has discounts ahead of a slough of model-year 2022 updates. Now through Nov. 30, Buick is offering $3,750 off the SUV in all regions we surveyed; that’s anywhere from 6%-9% off, depending what you get. Shoppers in some areas can get another $500 for financing at standard rates through parent company GM plus another $500 if they own an existing vehicle that qualifies for a loyalty bonus. (Again, those amounts are excluded from the bullets above, as not all shoppers qualify.) In lieu of such discounts, creditworthy shoppers can get 0% financing for 72 months plus the loyalty bonus in certain regions. All such deals expire Nov. 30.

More From Cars.com:

• How to Win the Car Financing Game
• Understanding Factory-to-Dealer Incentives
• Glossary of Car Leasing Terms
• How Does Leasing a Car Work?
• We Bought a 2021 Ford F-150: Here’s How Much We Paid

How We Look for Deals

To help car shoppers find the best deals for Black Friday, we lead with cash offers available to shoppers at large, not those that require financing with the automaker or having certain qualifications (e.g., military or college-graduate discounts, loyalty or conquest bonuses). In calculating the overall percentage discount and pricing after incentives, we focus on the vehicle’s price range from the cheapest incentives-eligible trim level with no factory options to the priciest eligible trim with all factory options. We include the destination charge in such pricing, but we exclude a few other items: taxes and fees, which vary considerably by region, and dealer accessories, which vary considerably by automaker.

Because these are factory discounts, they should be available to all participating dealers. As such, use them as the starting point for negotiations, not a reason to skip haggling altogether.

Incentives data come from automakers’ websites, while days-to-turn data come from Cars.com inventory. Remember, our numbers are current as of publication for the markets we survey (generally Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York). They reflect advertised customer discounts, not unadvertised factory-to-dealer cash. Discount financing typically requires qualifying credit, too, and incentives may vary by region and trim level; automakers may also change them later in the month. In sum: Your discounts may vary, so check with your local dealer for specifics.

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.