Swapalease.com Finds Trends in Vehicle Relocation

Online car shopping has greatly changed vehicle inventory from state to state. But as people exchange cars with each other across the U.S., have patterns developed among certain states or regions adding or gaining vehicles? Yes, indicates recent data from Swapalease.com, an automotive lease marketplace.

Michigan tops the states with the most cars coming in, with 287.5% more cars entering than leaving. Customer transfer data from Cincinnati-based Swapalease.com found that Michigan is the top state to receive cars from adjacent states, and from far-flung states like California and Florida. With 122.4% more cars coming into New Jersey than exiting, the Garden State ranks No. 2, while New York is third with 82.1% more entering.

“The import numbers for New Jersey and New York could grow significantly in the near term, as vehicle inventory from other regions are brought in to satisfy replacement demand from vehicles destroyed by Hurricane Sandy,” said Scot Hall, executive vice president of Swapalease.com in a release. “Other states high on the list, such as Michigan, speak to the extremely low in-state inventory levels in the marketplace.”

With 181.3% more vehicles exiting than entering, Illinois has the highest amount of cars exiting the state. Illinois and No. 2 Maryland, with 150% more departures than arrivals, have inventory surpluses in the marketplace, while other exit-heavy states like Texas (147% more vehicles leaving) and Florida (24.1%) export cars that are in good condition from warm weather, which makes drivers in other states seek out those vehicles.