The new cars that will depreciate the least

These cars are predicted to hold more of their value over the next three years.

We recently wrote about the cars that lost the least cash value over the last three years.

Now, thanks again to CAP Automative, we can share with you the cars that they predict will lose the least cash value over the next three years when bought new. The figures are based on a car travelling 12,000 miles a year, or 36,000 in total.

They’ve also given us a handy insight into the monthly running costs of the cars, which shows just how expensive even a small car can be to run, and a total ‘cost of ownership’, which is the amount you can expect to spend on your car (through fuel, services and so on) over that three-year period.

There are five categories below: superminis, cars priced in the lower medium range, upper medium range cars, executive cars, and MPVs (Multi Purpose Vehicles). Each category lists the top five cars within that sector.

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Superminis

Car	Cost of new car	Value after three years	% of value retained	Monthly running costs	Total three-year cost of ownership
DACIA SANDERO 1.2 ACCESS 5DR (2013-)	£5,810	£2,550	44%	£244.80	£8,812.74
DACIA LOGAN MCV 1.2 ACCESS 5DR (2013-)	£6,810	£2,975	44%	£261.19	£9,402.74
MG3 1.5 VTi-TECH 3TIME 5DR (2013-)	£8,219	£3,525	43%	£292.49	£10,529.74
FORD FIESTA 1.25 STUDIO 3DR (2012-)	£9,940	£4,475	45%	£285.46	£9,476.33
MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 1.0 5DR (2013-)	£8,999	£3,450	38%	£263.23	£9,476.33

Dacia is the budget arm of Renault, and the two cars topping this list each hold a very respectable 44% of their value after three years, while also being the cheapest to run.

WhatCar? gave the Sandero a pretty positive review, so don’t immediately write it off as a banger because of the bargain bin pricing and unfamiliar name.

Lower medium range

Car	Cost of new car	Value after three years	% of value retained	Monthly running costs	Total three-year cost of ownership
SEAT TOLEDO 1.2 E 5DR (2012-14)	£12,320	£5,075	41%	£356.81	£12,845.19
SKODA RAPID 1.2 TSI SE CONNECT 5DR (2012-)	£12,935	£5,675	44%	£333.61	£12,009.89
VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.4i 87 EXPRESSION 5DR (2012-)	£12,940	£5,175	40%	£363.89	£13,100.08
FORD FOCUS 1.6 STUDIO 5DR (2011-	£13,815	£5,625	41%	£391.30	£14,086.70
KIA CEED 1.4 1 5DR (2012-)	£14,220	£6,000	42%	£390.87	£14,086.70

The Seat Toledo 1.2 tops this list, losing £7,245 – a significant step up from the supermini sector. However, the Skoda Rapid 1.2 is £836 cheaper to run over three years than the Toledo. That more than makes up for the £15 difference in their cash depreciation.

Upper medium range

Car	Cost of new car	Value after three years	% of value retained	Monthly running costs	Total three-year cost of ownership
VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE 1.2 TSI 3DR (2012-)	£15,535	£6,525	42%	£408.21	£14,695.70
TOYOTA AURIS DIESEL 1.4 D-4D ACTIVE 5DR (2012-)	£16,190	£6,775	42%	£368.13	£13,252.65
FORD MONDEO 1.6 GRAPHITE 5DR (2013-)	£15,765	£6,275	40%	£451.82	£16,265.65
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.2 TSI S 5DR (2013-)	£16,720	£7,125	43%	£389.59	£14,025.21
SKODA OCTAVIA 1.2 TSI S 5DR (2013-)	£16,255	£6,650	41%	£389.55	£14,023.80

While the Beetle loses least in terms of cash, the Golf holds on to slightly more of its value as a percentage, and the Auris is by far the cheapest car to run here. The Mondeo is much more expensive to run than any other car we've named so far, mainly due to its larger 1.6 litre engine, which of course brings certain benefits too.

Executive

Car	Cost of new car	Value after three years	% of value retained	Monthly running costs	Total three-year cost of ownership
BMW 5 SERIES DIESEL 517D SE 4DR (2013-)	£30,210	£15,200	50%	£560.05	£20,161.72
AUDI A5 DIESEL SPORTBACK 2.0 TDIe 136 5DR (2012-)	£28,140	£13,000	46%	£552.73	£19,898.43
CHRYSLER DIESEL 3.0 V6 CRD 4DR AUTO (2012-)	£29,465	£13,125	45%	£717.90	£25,944.33
AUDI A5 COUPE 1.8T FSI SE 2DR (2011-)	£28,665	£12,100	42%	£623.35	£22,440.47
JAGUAR XF DIESEL SALOON 2.2d SE 4DR AUTO (2012-)	£29,890	£12,750	43%	£635.68	£22,884.32

Executive cars are unsurprisingly much more expensive to buy and run than a normal family car. If you’re looking in this range though, and after something that’ll hold its value, the BMW 5 Series diesel saloon would be a decent pick as it retains 50% of its value.

Notably, except for the Audi A5 Coupe, these are all diesel cars. The petrol models tend to depreciate a bit quicker. For example, the BMW 5 series petrol saloon costs £2,600 more than the diesel model at the top of the executive list. The petrol model then actually loses an extra £2,000 over three years, and costs £3,379 more to run during the same time period.

MPV

Car	Cost of new car	Value after three years	% of value retained	Monthly running costs	Total three-year cost of ownership
SKODA ROOMSTER 1.2 TSI LIMITED EDITION 5DR (2013-)	£9,810	£4,925	50%	£286.99	£10,331.47
KIA VENGA 1.4 ECODYNAMICS 1 5DR (2011-)	£11,540	£4,550	39%	£341.98	£12,311.21
NISSAN NOTE 1.2 VISIA 5DR (2013-)	£12,045	£4,825	40%	£320.18	£11,526.39
HYUNDAI IX20 1.4 CLASSIC 5DR (2012-)	£12,250	£4,900	40%	£363.09	£13,071.14
FORD TOURNEO 1.0 ECOBOOST STYLE 5DR (2013-)	£14,190	£6,600	47%	£355.45	£12,796.25

The Skoda Roomster is the clear winner here, holding onto 50% of its value, being the cheapest to run and being the cheapest to buy in the first place. Its monthly running cost is almost identical to the Ford Fiesta mentioned in the superminis category, despite being a much larger car, and the difference in engine size being fairly negligible.

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Would you recommend any of these models in particular? Are they good to drive? Let us know your experiences in the Comments below.

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