Remember that all depreciation is calculated based on the car’s official list price and if dealers are offering heavy discounts on a car, the depreciation figures will look bad but very few people will actually be paying that much to buy new. Plus, depreciation is a cost that only crystallises when you sell the car. If you hold on to it for longer it isn’t a concern.
Why are some electric car residual values so low?
In the UK, the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate means that manufacturers are now legally required to sell a rising proportion of fully-electric cars every year up until 2030, when this number will reach 100 per cent.
In order to meet these percentage targets, brands are increasingly resorting to discounting or long-term price cuts to help boost sales of EVs. Then there’s the government Electric Car Grant applied to models at the cheaper end of the market. Naturally, these discounted new cars create pressure on values of electric cars on the used market further down the line.
In addition to this, the rapid development of EV technology and the expanding amount of choice for consumers means that some older models can start to feel dated quite quickly, thus reducing their appeal to car buyers compared to new alternatives. And it’s not all EVs that have a depreciation issue, some of the more popular and competitively priced options hold their value very well.
Car depreciation: the worst of the rest
Our list of the top 10 fastest depreciating cars includes a heady mix of the overpriced, the unfashionable and the unremarkable. If you look further down the charts there’s more of the same, as well as some surprises.
| Rank | Model | Average new price | Average part-ex value (3 years/36,000 miles) | Average retained value (3 years/36,000 miles) |
| 1 | GWM Ora 03 48kWh Pure+ | £31,995.00 | £8,250.00 | 25.79% |
| 2 | Nissan Leaf 39kWh Acenta | £29,290.00 | £7,775.00 | 26.54% |
| 3 | Jaguar I-Pace 90kWh 400 R-Dynamic S | £69,995.00 | £19,575.00 | 27.97% |
| 4 | Lexus UX-e 300e 72.8kWh Takumi | £51,145.00 | £14,600.00 | 28.55% |
| 5 | DS Automobiles DS3 E-Tense 54kWh Pallas | £39,210.00 | £11,325.00 | 28.88% |
| 6 | DS Automobiles DS9 1.6 E-Tense Opera | £64,800.00 | £18,725.00 | 28.9% |
| 7 | Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Plug-in-Hybrid Ultimate | £42,830.00 | £12,525.00 | 29.24% |
| 8 | Mazda MX-30 Prime-Line | £28,005.00 | £8,525.00 | 30.44% |
| 9 | Fiat 500e 42kWh Giorgio Armani | £33,985.00 | £10,425.00 | 30.68% |
| 10 | Audi A8 60 TFSIe | £103,275.00 | £31,750.00 | 30.74% |
| 11 | Vauxhall Corsa-e 51kWh 156 GS | £32,635.00 | £10,100.00 | 30.95% |
| 12 | KGM Korando eMOTION 61.5kWh 207 ELX | £33,995.00 | £10,700.00 | 31.48% |
| 13 | Honda e 35.5kWh 154 Advance | £38,345.00 | £12,325.00 | 32.14% |
| 14 | BMW 8 Series Coupe 840i | £87,120.00 | £28,050.00 | 32.2% |
| 15 | Peugeot E-3008 73kWh 210 Allure | £56,290.00 | £18,175.00 | 32.29% |
| 16 | Vauxhall Mokka-e 54kWh 156 GS | £35,105.00 | £11,625.00 | 33.11% |
| 17 | Citroen e-C4 Hatch 50kWh 136 YOU! | £28,050.00 | £9,300.00 | 33.16% |
| 18 | Fiat 500C 1.0 70 SS Collezione 1957 | £23,950.00 | £8,025.00 | 33.51% |
| 19 | MG MG5 EV 61.1kWh 156 Trophy EV | £34,040.00 | £11,550.00 | 33.93% |
| 20 | Mercedes Benz SL Class Coupe Convertible Maybach SL680 4MATIC+ | £241,350.00 | £82,175.00 | 34.05% |
Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.
