Car debt is piling up for consumers, according to a Bloomberg News report. The outlet found that the amount of negative equity, or the amount that debt surpasses a vehicle's value, is building up. This has led many car owners to show up at lots underwater, which is also known as "upside down," as they try to trade in their debt-burdened cars. The situation has emerged against a backdrop of rising interest rates, with the average new-car interest rate hitting 6.9 percent in January, up from 4.3 percent a year earlier, according to Edmunds.
The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today's prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.
