We’ve all heard the sob stories. A buyer walks into a showroom, pays mega-bucks for a new model with all the bells and whistles, then can’t believe how little the dealer wants to buy it back for at trade-in time… ouch!
Every new car loses money of course, and most do it faster than their owners would probably like. But some cars lose money faster than others, and some are absolute stinkers when it comes to holding their value on the used car market. We’ll refer to them as depreciation disasters.
To help you avoid these mobile money-pits we’ve combed the data from used car valuation experts at CAP to create a list of possible new car purchases with the biggest sting in the tail.
• Car depreciation: the cars that hold their value best
So here they are - the disastrous depreciators you shouldn’t touch with a bargepole if you want to save your cash, as predicted by CAP.
What are the fastest depreciating cars?
You’ll notice a bit of a theme here. Electric cars might make you feel smug when you’re charging them for pennies overnight, but it looks as though they could ruin you at resale time.
To keep things simple, we’ve only compared the worst performing specification for each of these depreciation duffers. And listed them according to their percentage retained value after a typical 3-year/36,000-mile ownership period.
At the bottom of the page you’ll find a second list of the biggest depreciating cars by actual cash lost. Predictably, these tend to be luxury and performance models that cost a whole lot more to start with...
Britain’s worst depreciating cars
Below, in reverse order are the top 10 cars by predicted percentage loss in value over a typical ownership period.
10. Volkswagen e-up!
Cost new: £24,740
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £6,375
Percentage value retained: 26%
You lose: £18,365
You wouldn’t normally expect to see a Volkswagen of any type gracing a ‘worst depreciators’ list, but the e-up!’s fatal flaw is that it runs on batteries and costs more than double the price of a 1.0-litre petrol model. That’s hardly a recipe for desirability when new. On the used market, it’s the kiss of death.
9. Vauxhall Meriva 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoFLEX Exclusiv
Cost new: £20,825
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £5,300
Percentage value retained: 25%
You lose: £15,525
The Vauxhall Meriva makes a decent fist of the small family MPV, but its ‘suicide’ rear doors could put some people off. And while Vauxhall residuals are pretty uninspiring across the board, the £20k-plus new price of the 1.6-litre Exclusive version of the Meriva was never going to look sensible in the cold harsh light of a dealer’s used forecourt.
8. Fiat Qubo 1.3 Multijet 80 Active
Cost new: £14,145
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £3,600
Percentage value retained: 25%
You lose: £10,545
The Fiat Qubo’s endearing blend of chunky style and family-friendly practicality is generally a hit with the sort of owners who don’t mind if their motoring has a hint of the utilitarian about it. But the Qubo’s commercial vehicle roots are off-putting for more image-conscious buyers, and that’s why it makes it into our list.
7. Citroen C5 2.0 BlueHDi 16V VTR (Techno Pack)
Cost new: £24,095
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £5,850
Percentage value retained: 24%
You lose: £18,245
Citroen’s C5 is not exactly a pretty car, nor does it have the funky design feel of some of its stablemates. But it’s an excellent motorway cruiser, being refined, spacious and economical. It’s never caught buyers’ imaginations though, and like many Citroens the C5 suffers at resale time. Expensive versions like the 2.0 VTR suffer even more, as they’re priced nearer to classier rivals from Audi or BMW.
6. Renault Zoe i–Dynamique Nav Rapid Charge
Cost new: £25,490
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £5,950
Percentage value retained: 23%
You lose: £19.540
Renault’s Zoe is actually a pretty good electric car, and with up to 100 miles of range it’s arguably one of the most useful eco-commuter models out there. That doesn’t wash with the great British public though, who are still avoiding second-hand examples like the plague.
5. Renault Megane Sport Tourer 1.2 TCE GT Line Nav
Cost new: £21,015
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £4,925
Percentage value retained: 23%
You lose: £16,090
The Renault Megane Sport Tourer is one of the best looking compact family estates, but the range doesn’t have a great reputation for holding its value. The worst of the bunch is the petrol-engined 1.2 TCE in expensive GT Line Nav trim – so if you want a Sport Tourer, pick a diesel.
4. Citroen C-Zero
Cost new: £16,940
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £3,900
Percentage value retained: 23%
You lose: £13,040
The Citroen C-Zero is expensive, full of cheap-looking plastic, and out of its city environment is out of its depth. No surprise then that the model formerly known as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV city car doesn’t set pulses racing on the used market.
3. Peugeot iOn
Cost new: £16,940
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £3,900
Percentage value retained: 23%
You lose: £13,040
The Peugeot iOn the same car as the Peugeot iOn with different badges. So all the same criticisms apply.
2. MG6 Magnette saloon 1.8T
Cost new: £18,610
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £3,825
Percentage value retained: 21%
You lose: £14,785
If the MG6 Magnette has one thing going for it, at least it’s not battery powered like many cars in this list. Not that being battery-powered could do much to worsen the appeal of the 1.8T petrol-engined saloon on the used market. Given the lack of interest it’s no surprise the saloon version wasn’t included in MG Motors recent facelift of the MG6 – hopefully there won’t be too many left on dealer forecourts.
1. Nissan Leaf Visia 5dr 6.6kW
Cost new: £26,885
Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles: £5,075
Percentage value retained: 19%
You lose: £21,810
If the Leaf is one of the best electric cars on sale - and without a doubt it is one of the best - then the shockingly small amount that punters are prepared to cough up for a used one leaves no doubt as to how little anyone cares. Amazingly, the 20% percent residual value quoted by CAP could get even worse as quantities of fleet-owned examples threaten to flood the market.
Britain’s worst depreciating cars by total cash lost
Of course, if you want to lose really significant amounts of money on a car, you need to start with a model that's much more expensive in the first place. The cars above are the worst offenders for losing big proportions of their original value but the worst depreciators in pure cash terms are a very different bunch.
Below are the 10 biggest depreciating cars by predicted cash loss over a typical 3-year 36,000-mile ownership period.
| Make/model | Cost New | Value at 3yrs/ 36k miles | Percentage value retained | You lose… |
| 1. Rolls-Royce Phantom | £320,120 | £150,300 | 47% | £169,820 |
| 2. Bentley Mulsanne | £229,360 | £96,250 | 42% | £133,110 |
| 3. Ferrari FF | £226,023 | £94,175 | 42% | £131,848 |
| 4. Ferrari F12 | £238,938 | £110,325 | 46% | £128,613 |
| 5. Lamborghini Aventador | £262,860 | £136,750 | 52% | £126,110 |
| 6. Rolls-Royce Wraith | £237,416 | £114,850 | 48% | £122,566 |
| 7. Aston Martin Vanquish | £195,950 | £89,725 | 46% | £106,225 |
| 8. Rolls-Royce Ghost | £224,888 | £119,000 | 53% | £105,888 |
| 9. Lamborghini Huracan Spyder | £198,792 | £99,200 | 50% | £99,592 |
| 10. Bentley Continental GTC convertible | £154,400 | £56,875 | 37% | £97,525 |
Now check out our round-up of the cars that hold their value best on the UK market...