The cars that will cost you most in depreciation
Buy one of these new and you could end up paying dearly…
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Your support makes all the difference.In the excitement of striking a new car deal, it’s easy to forget what the effects of depreciation may be further down the line. But if you buy the wrong car, the sobering reality will soon dawn, as your shiny new motor loses thousands upon thousands every single year.
Indeed, depreciation is often the single biggest motoring expense you’ll suffer, so it’s well worth trying to mitigate this when picking a new car. So here are 10 of the UK’s worst cars for depreciation, which you can right away strike off your shopping list to save yourself a fortune…
10. Skoda Rapid 1.4 TDI CR 90 SE L
New price: £18,975
Cash lost after year 1: £11,900 (62.7%)
Cash lost after year 2: £12,950 (68.2%)
Cash lost after year 3: £14,050 (74.0%)
A rare stumble by Skoda whose range is otherwise packed with great cars. The Rapid simply isn’t up to scratch, either for overall appeal or, as the above figures make clear, a long-term investment.
9. Citroën C4 1.2 Puretech Edition
New price: £18,160
Cash lost after year 1: £11,260 (62.0%)
Cash lost after year 2: £12,360 (68.1%)
Cash lost after year 3: £13,435 (74.0%)
The Citroen C4 is a disappointing family hatchback alternative to the Volkswagen Golf, that used car buyers show no great desire for. The result is poor retained values that aren’t a patch on the excellent figures boasted by the VW.
8. Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 JTDM-2
New price: £22,200
Cash lost after year 1: £13,725 (61.8%)
Cash lost after year 2: £15,125 (68.1%)
Cash lost after year 3: £14,450 (74.1%)
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta thinks it’s a premium hatchback but it’s simply not in the same ballpark as the Audi A3 Sportback or BMW 1 Series. This is why the stodgy-driving, cramped five-door loses so much money over three years.
7. Peugeot 508 2.0 BlueHDi 150 GT Line
List price: £29,365
Cash lost after year 1: £18,415 (62.7%)
Cash lost after year 2: £20.290 (69.1%)
Cash lost after year 3: £21,840 (74.4%)
People simply don’t want to buy family-sized saloons from premium brands anymore. They much prefer cars such as the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series. The knock-on effect of this is limited appeal on the used market, which is why this £29k car loses almost £22k in just three years.
6. Peugeot 308 1.6 Blue HDi 100 Active
New price: £19,770
Cash lost after year 1: £12,670 (64.1%)
Cash lost after year 2: £13,670 (69.1%)
Cash lost after year 3: £14,770 (74.7%)
It’s a surprise to see the Peugeot 308 suffer such weak retained values but, like the Citroen C4, it’s not a match for the class-leading Volkswagen Golf. Buyers should thus make sure they get a huge discount or lose out big time after just three years’ ownership.
5. Fiat Punto 1.4 Pop+
New price: £12,275
Cash lost after year 1: £8150 (66.4%)
Cash lost after year 2: £8825 (71.9%)
Cash lost after year 3: £9425 (76.8%)
The Fiat Punto is now a very old car indeed – the basic model dates back almost 13 years. That’s why it has such limited appeal on the secondhand car market, which inevitably equates to extremely high levels of depreciation.
4. Vauxhall Astra GTC 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoTEC SRi
New price: £24,465
Cash lost after year 1: £16,390 (67.0%)
Cash lost after year 2: £17,590 (71.9%)
Cash lost after year 3: £18,765 (76.7%)
We like and rate the current Vauxhall Astra five-door – but this ageing GTC three-door is still based on the old-shape model. This has long been off the pace and it seems used car buyers know it – and thus penalize it with very weak retained values.
3. Alfa Romeo Mito 1.3 JTDM-2
New price: £16,080
Cash lost after year 1: £11,555 (71.9%)
Cash lost after year 2: £12,180 (75.7%)
Cash lost after year 3: £12,755 (79.3%)
Another disappointing Alfa Romeo that depreciates extremely heavily. After three years, this £16,000 model will have lost over £12,750, which is abysmal when compared to the very low levels of depreciation enjoyed by its arch-rivals, the Audi A1 and Mini.
2. Nissan Leaf Visia
New price: £26,180
Cash lost after year 1: £18,880 (72.1%)
Cash lost after year 2: £19,955 (76.2%)
Cash lost after year 3: £21,105 (80.6%)
Thinking about going electric? You may well have considered a Nissan Leaf, the world’s best-selling car. But wait – the UK market seems not quite ready for it, which is why the car suffers such eye-watering depreciation. You’ll lose almost 81% of its £26,180 list price in just three years.
1. Renault Zoe i-Dynamique Nav Quick Charge
New price: £29,020
Cash lost after year 1: £22,520 (77.6%)
Cash lost after year 2: £23,545 (81.1%)
Cash lost after year 3: £24,370 (84.0%)
The Renault Zoe is a highly-rated electric car when new, thanks to its practicality, good equipment levels and impressive 170-mile range. The used car market disagrees, though, hitting it with an 84% depreciation rate after just three years. It means this £29,000 car will lose over £24,300 in 36 months – a staggering amount of cash to throw away simply for being an electric car early adopter.
Rob Adams is a writer for WhatCar.
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