The short version
- El Nuevo Día reports that the drop in new-vehicle sales moderated in October but the market remains below 2025 levels and could finish the year at the lowest volume since 2020
- Sin Comillas states the average consumer price of gasoline in Puerto Rico reached $1.03 per liter, the lowest since mid-August, ranging from $1.01 to $1.05 per liter of regular
- According to Sin Comillas, the price drop follows a decline in oil prices below $90 a barrel on Tuesday after statements by President Donald Trump regarding Iran
- Sin Comillas notes the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects the Brent crude average at $97 per barrel for the remainder of 2026
Weak auto market
Puerto Rico could end 2026 with the lowest level of new-vehicle sales since 2020, El Nuevo Día reported. The decline in sales moderated during October although the market continued to perform below the previous year, the newspaper said.
No specific sales figures for October or year-to-date totals were published in the available reporting.
Also on PuertoRico.com: Cost of living in Puerto Rico
Gasoline prices fall
The average price of gasoline paid by consumers in Puerto Rico stood at $1.03 per liter in the latest reporting period, the lowest since mid-August, Sin Comillas reported. Prices across the island ranged between $1.01 and $1.05 per liter of regular gasoline, the outlet said, citing data from the Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor (DACO).
The decline follows a drop in international oil prices. The Brent benchmark fell 3.7 percent to $89.16 a barrel on Tuesday after President Donald Trump indicated it was unlikely that attacks on Iran would be renewed, Sin Comillas reported. West Texas Intermediate fell as low as $83.88 before rebounding above $87. The article noted that energy prices had risen earlier in the year after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran in February.
Where the sources differ
Both sources agree on the direction of their respective markets: El Nuevo Día describes a continuing but moderated decline in auto sales, while Sin Comillas reports a clear drop in gasoline prices to the lowest level since mid-August. The sources differ in focus and detail; El Nuevo Día provides no numerical sales data and only a general outlook for the full year, whereas Sin Comillas supplies specific per-liter prices, price ranges, oil-benchmark figures, references to Trump statements, prior Hormuz-related price spikes, U.S. inflation at 3.7 percent, Federal Reserve rate hikes, and EIA projections for Brent crude through 2027. The two reports do not overlap in content.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not provide actual year-to-date or October auto-sales volumes, the percentage decline from 2025, or any forecast for how many vehicles will ultimately be sold in 2026. They also omit the exact date of the gasoline-price survey, the number of stations sampled by DACO, whether diesel or premium grades followed the same trend, and any comment from auto dealers or the government on possible causes or remedies for the weak vehicle market.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Puerto Rico podría cerrar el año con el nivel de venta de autos más bajo desde 2020
- Reporting El precio de la gasolina cae al nivel más bajo desde agosto
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día supplied the sole account of the auto-sales trend and the possibility of a 2020-level year. Sin Comillas was the only source for gasoline prices, oil-benchmark movements, the link to Trump statements on Iran, earlier Hormuz events, U.S. inflation and EIA forecasts. No other sources were used.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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