The 10 slowest depreciating cars in the UK
Depreciation is a largely unavoidable part of new car ownership, but if you make the right choice, you can minimise the lost value
Pretty much every new car will lose money the moment you drive it away from the dealership. It’s important to know exactly how much will disappear in the first few years, though. Even if you’re buying a car on finance, depreciation data is vital because the amount of money the car is predicted to be worth at the end of the finance agreement impacts how much you pay per month. It all means that getting a car that depreciates slowly will have a very positive effect on your overall running costs.
In simple terms, depreciation is the difference between what a buyer paid for the car and what it’s currently worth, otherwise known as its residual value. Plot a new car’s depreciation on a graph, and the line will start at a high point and fall over time. Cars that depreciate slowly will be worth more than fast-depreciating cars and will work out cheaper to own overall.
Unless you’re buying a highly sought-after limited-run performance car, then the new car you buy will probably suffer from depreciation at some level. It’s just a fact of life, as a car that has been used by a previous owner isn’t as attractive as a brand-new one. There are obviously older classic cars that appreciate in value as they become rare and more desirable over time, but with most modern vehicles, the residual value is only going one way. There are cars out there, however, that can limit your losses.
We’ve listed the best depreciation performers on the market below using the latest depreciation data for what today’s new models will be worth when they’re three years old with 36,000 miles on the clock. This irons out any initial spikes in desirability as a new car comes to market, and gives a good indication of how much a car will be worth over the lifetime of a typical finance deal.
1. Land Rover Defender 90 D350 X-Dynamic SE
- Retained value: 67.11%
- Average new price: £66,760
- Average retained value: £44,800
The Land Rover Defender is a regular on this list, and indeed a regular in the higher positions, with the short-wheelbase 90 in D350 mild-hybrid diesel form currently in the number one spot. It’s one of the less fancy powertrains in the range, which suggests keeping things fairly simple and not spending too much initially is the key to your Defender being in demand and commanding high values after three years. Our example’s asking price isn’t much more than the absolute minimum you can spend on a Defender, and X-Dynamic SE trim is only one step up from the most basic model, too.
Latest Land Rover Defender 90 deals
2. Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet
- Retained value: 64.04%
- Average new price: £206,245
- Average retained value: £132,150
The latest Porsche 911 Turbo S is by far the most powerful ever with 701bhp from its hybridised 4.0-litre flat-six, but it’s also the first one to nudge past the £200,000 mark in certain forms. It does so if specced as a 911 Cabriolet, but the good news is the ultra-fast drop-top has resistance to depreciation that’s as impressive as its 2.6-second 0-62mph time. After three years, it’ll have held out to 64 per cent of its original value.
3. Dacia Duster 1.8 Hybrid Expression
- Retained value: 63.08%
- Average new price: £23,345
- Average retained value: £14,725
This is the first of two Dacias here, and it’s helped by how little these cars cost in the first place, and how much they offer for the money. It might help the Dacia Duster’s cause that it looks a lot more desirable than before, too, thanks to the chunky, purposeful looks of the new model. Your best bet for retained value is the entry-level Expression trim combined with the hybrid powertrain, a model which hangs on to nearly a third of its original price.
4. Maserati GranCabrio Folgore Electric
- Retained value: 62.35%
- Average new price: £138,605
- Average retained value: £86,425
An all-electric cabriolet from a company like Maserati doesn’t sound like a recipe for strong residual values, but the data shows that the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore has a knack for clinging onto a good chunk of its original purchase price. Whether or not that makes up for the missing V6 engine of the petrol version, or indeed the magnificent naturally aspirated V8 of the previous-generation (but very similar looking) version, only you can decide.
Latest Maserati GranCabrio deals
5. Toyota GR Yaris
- Retained value: 62.18%
- Average new price: £35,705
- Average retained value: £22,200
Nobody can deny that the Toyota GR Yaris is a seriously quick hot hatchback, but one thing it does do slowly is depreciate. There’s no shortage of desirability emanating from this rally car-inspired pocket rocket, and as its price has gradually worked its way upwards over time, this has only increased the appeal of nabbing a more affordable and ‘lightly’ used one instead. While there are some special editions out there, the GR Yaris is a strong investment regardless of specification.
6. Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi
- Retained value: 62.04%
- Average new price: £43,725
- Average retained value: £27,125
Kia isn’t the first brand you might think of when it comes to retained value, but the Kia Sorento has a few things in its favour. Firstly, it’s well priced from new given its size and utility; secondly, it’s one of increasingly few diesel options available in its segment, and thirdly, these big Korean SUVs are often popular with those who need to tow: the diesel here has a 2,600kg braked trailer rating, more even than you’d get from a Land Rover Discovery Sport. Having used buyers ready to snap up a useful SUV like the Sorento really helps its long-term values.
7. Dacia Bigster 1.8 Hybrid 155 Extreme
- Retained value: 61.90%
- Average new price: £28,515
- Average retained value: £17,650
Everybody wins with the Dacia Bigster, it seems. It’s easily the best value for money car in the family SUV segment with a sub-£30k starting price – the Hybrid in Extreme trim here is the absolute most you can spend on a Bigster – and as it turns out, one of the UK’s slowest depreciating cars, so you don’t lose much money on it either. Even as a used buyer, a three-year-old Bigster for under £20k sounds like a steal, especially when that first buyer has gone for the highest trim level and an engine capable of 60mpg.
8. Mercedes G 580 AMG Line Premium Plus
- Retained value: 61.75%
- Average new price: £154,870
- Average retained value: £95,625
The Mercedes G-Class has always sold on its image, and the kind of buyers interested in the big G are also the kind of people who might be taken by the all-electric G 580, with its walloping 579bhp and gimmicks like its ‘G-Turn’ ability (spinning on the spot) – and forget the three-tonne kerb weight and lousy efficiency. Until the novelty wears off or supply ramps up, it’s sure to be a slow depreciator, although £65k in three years isn’t an insignificant drop in value even so. And in general the G-Class is trending downwards, with an eight per cent change in predicted residual value since September 2025, when it was ranked number one in this list.
9. Tesla Model Y RWD
- Retained value: 60.07%
- Average new price: £41,990
- Average retained value: £25,225
Electric cars generally depreciate faster than their combustion equivalents, but there are some that buck the trend. And they don’t have to be rich people’s playthings like the Mercedes G-Class Electric or the Maserati GranCabrio, as proven by the MINI at number 10 and also this entry. In the right spec, that being an entry-level rear-wheel-drive version, the Tesla Model Y does very well for itself, retaining just over 60 per cent after three years, which equates to roughly £25,000.
10. MINI Countryman Electric E Monochrome
- Retained value: 59.30%
- Average new price: £33,305
- Average retained value: £19,750
The MINI Countryman might have got a little bigger with each generation, but it’s still relatively compact by SUV standards at just over 4.4 metres long, yet it has a high-quality appearance of a larger, more expensive car. And, of course, it resists depreciation nicely. Previously, it was the petrol-powered MINI Cooper C that occupied a place in the Top 10 but now, it’s a straight swap for the all-electric Countryman E. A recurring theme, though, is that it’s one of the cheaper versions of the car that performs the best in terms of residual value. This is a bit of a spec tip if you want to minimise depreciation: spending extra when you buy doesn’t necessarily mean making that money back when you come to sell.
Latest MINI Countryman Electric deals
Car depreciation: the best of the rest
With the top 10 covered off, let’s take a look at some of the models that just missed the cut. The table below shows the top 20 slowest depreciating cars in the UK. If you’re looking for a new car, these are currently the safest places to put your cash.
| Rank | Model | Average new price | Average part-ex value (3 years/36,000 miles) | Average retained value (3 years/36,000 miles) |
| 1 | Land Rover Defender 90 | £66,760 | £44,800 | 67.11% |
| 2 | Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet | £206,245 | £132,150 | 64.07% |
| 3 | Dacia Duster | £23,345 | £14,725 | 63.08% |
| 4 | Maserati GranCabrio Folgore | £138,605 | £86,425 | 62.35% |
| 5 | Toyota GR Yaris | £35,705 | £22,200 | 62.18% |
| 6 | Kia Sorento | £43,725 | £27,125 | 62.04% |
| 7 | Dacia Bigster | £28,515 | £17,650 | 61.90% |
| 8 | Mercedes G-Glass Electric | £154,870 | £95,625 | 61.75% |
| 9 | Tesla Model Y | £41,990 | £25,225 | 60.07% |
| 10 | MINI Countryman Electric | £33,305 | £19,750 | 59.30% |
| 11 | BMW iX3 | £57,250 | £33,500 | 58.52% |
| 12 | Land Rover Discovery | £57,250 | £33,500 | 58.52% |
| 13 | Toyota Land Cruiser | £80,945 | £47,225 | 58.34% |
| 14 | Range Rover Sport | £77,620 | £44,975 | 57.94% |
| 15 | Peugeot E-5008 | £47,395 | £27,225 | 57.44% |
| 16 | Volvo EX90 | £73,160 | £41,925 | 57.31% |
| 17 | Morgan Plus Six | £86,760 | £49,300 | 56.82% |
| 18 | Volkswagen Multivan | £56,860 | £32,150 | 56.54% |
| 19 | Hyundai Ioniq 3 | £22,245 | £12,550 | 56.42% |
| 20 | Audi RS 3 | £63,655 | £35,850 | 56.32% |
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