Fastest depreciating cars revealed: One Chinese EV sheds THREE QUARTERS of its value in three years

A Chinese electric hatchback has been named the fastest depreciating car after market data revealed it loses 75 per cent of its original value after just three years.

The report found the average car retains 47.7 per cent of its original ‘on the road’ (OTR) price when being part exchanged at 36 months old and having been driven 36,000 miles.

However, EVs are the worst fuel type of all for value retention, on average holding onto only 44.8 per cent of their new price after three years.

Experts have blamed the Government’s Electric Car Grant – which slashes the price of some models by between £1,500 and £3,750 – and manufacturers heavily discounting battery vehicles to meet binding sales targets as the most prominent anchor on second-hand EV values. 

Rapid development of electric car tech – which sees new models continuously offering longer battery ranges and sees electric cars becoming more quickly outdated and therefore less desirable – is also weighing heavy on used prices, they said.

Hybrids, which combine the benefits of electric power and a traditional combustion engine, hold their value best, on average keeping 50.3 per cent of the new price when they reach three years old.

In comparison, petrols typically hold 48.6 per cent of their new price, data from CDL Vehicle Information Services shows.

Daily Mail and This is Money can tell you which specific models – most of them still in showrooms today – are holding their value best, and which are falling like a stone…

This Chinese electric hatchback has been named the fastest depreciating new car after market data revealed that it losses 75% of its original value when being part-exchanged after just three years…

The slowest depreciating cars 

Analysis of CDL VIS’s database by Auto Express found that the luxury Mercedes G-Class Electric is the slowest depreciating car on the market right now.

It typically holds 70.1 per cent of its £154,870 value over the three-year spell, falling to just £108,550 after 36,000 miles of driving over this period.

Making this an even more remarkable feat is the fact that a top Mercedes exec was recently quoted as referring to the electric G-Wagon as a ‘complete flop’.

In June, it was reported that only 1,450 examples had been delivered since the G580 was launched in summer 2024, whereas the £133,500 gas-guzzling petrol G-Class achieved 9,700 unit sales over the same period.

German newspaper Handelsblatt claimed that one exec had said examples of the electric luxury SUV were ‘sitting like lead in dealers’ due to the wider EV slowdown.

The Mercedes G580 electric G-Class is the slowest depreciating car at the moment. The £154,870 luxury SUV holds onto 70.1% of its new price over the three-year period, falling to just £108,550, the data shows

Second in the list of slowest-depreciating cars is the Land Rover Defender 90, which holds 69.4% of its near-£60,000 OTR price when being part-exchanged after three years

The £149k Porsche 911 Coupe GT3 manual is another exclusive motor with strong residual values. Given its exclusivity and high demand, it’s unsurprising to see it keeping hold of 69.2% of its price, meaning a three-year-old example is still worth £103k when part-exchanged

Second in the list of slowest-depreciating cars is the Land Rover Defender 90, which holds 69.4 per cent of its near-£60,000 OTR price after three years. 

And the Defender’s residual value has further scope to improve over the coming months, given JLR has been unable to produce a single new model for over five weeks after it shutdown its global assembly lines following a cyber attack on its IT systems on 30 August.

With no new cars built since then, the availability of new Defender and other Land Rover products will remain limited for the coming months, which will only drive up the value of second-hand models and should slow depreciation further. 

Next on the list of value-retaining motors is the £149k Porsche 911 Coupe GT3 manual. 

Given its exclusivity and high demand, it’s unsurprising to see a model like this keeping hold of 69.2 per cent of its OTR price. As such, it means a used three-year-old example is still worth £103,000.

But the list of slowest depreciators isn’t just high-end luxury and performance motors. 

In fact, the two cars that follow directly in the 911 GT3’s tyre tracks for best residuals are far less glamorous – and certainly not exclusive. 

The budget-friendly surprise: The fourth slowest depreciating car is a Dacia! The new £29,990 Bigster SUV retains 66.2% of its new price, with owners losing just £10,000 on what they originally paid if they part-ex after three years

The Dacia Jogger – Britain’s most affordable seven-seat car – keeps 65.6% of its new price when part-exchanged after three years

Porsche’s limited run 718 Cayman GT4 RS keeps 64.2% of its £128,300 asking price after three years

Other more practical models to keep more than three fifths of their value after three years include the Volkswagen Multivan MPV, which retains 63.4% of its new price

The fourth slowest depreciating car is a budget-friendly Dacia – the new £29,990 Bigster SUV. 

The 1.8 Hybrid 155 Extreme spec retains 66.2 per cent of its new price after three years when part exchanging, with owners losing just £10,000 on what they originally paid.

It is closely followed by the seven-seat Dacia Jogger, with data showing the versatile estate model (in 1.6 Hybrid Expression trim) keeping 65.6 per cent of its OTR price from three years earlier.

In sixth spot for slow depreciation is Porsche’s limited-run Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

The two-seat sports coupe, which has now ended production ahead of being succeeded by its electric replacement, keeps 64.2 per cent of its £128,300 asking price after three years.

This means it is typically worth £83,675, even with 36,000 miles on the clock and part-exchange valuations, which are typically lower than selling privately.

Toyota’s new Toyota Land Cruiser is another expensive SUV that holds value well. When part-exchanging, owners of three-year-old examples are likely to get almost 63% of their money back on the original purchase price

More proof that it’s not just ultra-exclusive cars that hold their value well is the Kia Sorento, which is places ninth for value retention again all rivals

Rounding out the top ten slowest depreciators is the Mini Countryman 1.5 Cooper C, which holds onto 61.4% of its new price when being part-exchanged at three years old

Other more practical models to retain around three fifths of their value after three years include the hybrid Volkswagen Multivan MPV (63.4 per cent) and Toyota’s new Land Cruiser.

The Japanese Land Rover Defender rival – which uses a 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine – holds 62.9 per cent of its original price some 36 months after being registered.

Rounding out the top ten slowest depreciators is the diesel Kia Sorento SUV (61.8 per cent) and the petrol Mini Countryman 1.5 Cooper C (61.4 per cent).

The fastest depreciating cars

All but two of the ten fastest depreciating cars are EVs, the market analysis found.

The one that plummets most is the GWM Ora 03 – the debut model from the Great Wall Motor-owned brand.

Originally called the Ora Funky Cat when it arrived in UK showrooms in 2022, the 03 is a compact hatchback with a 193-mile range.

But with a relatively steep OTR price for a Chinese car, it typically sheds value at an alarming rate.

The 48kWh Pure+ trim – which costs £31,995 in dealers – retains a paltry 25.8 per cent of its price when 36 months have passed and the owner is looking to part-exchange.

This sees the value crash to just £7,775, which is a monetary loss of more than £24,000.

The GWM Ora 03 – which costs £31,995 – retains a paltry 25.8% of its price when 36 months have passed. This sees the part-ex value crash to just £7,775, which is a monetary loss of more than £24,000

The outgoing Nissan Leaf EV suffers huge depreciation, though this is also being driven by the fact it is on the brink of being replaced by an all-new version

The Jaguar I-Pace EV (90kWh 400 R-Dynamic S trim) is next, holding onto a disappointing 28 per cent of its £69,995 OTR price, meaning a three-year-old example is typically worth just £19,575 – an eye-watering loss of £50,420

The £51k Lexus UX-e 300e SUV holds onto just 28.6% of its new price when it’s time to part-exchange three years after it was first registered. It means sellers get back just £14,600

Steve Walker, head of digital content at Auto Express, said that while Chinese cars – particularly cheaper electric models – are already stamping their footprint on the UK market, the Ora 03 is a clear indication that they could be susceptible to rapid depreciation. 

‘With buyers not exactly clamouring for this oddly-styled vehicle from an unfamiliar brand, expect it to be even cheaper given another year or two on the market,’ Walker said.

Second worst is the Nissan Leaf at 26.5 per cent.

However, this is based on the outgoing generation of Nissan’s flagship EV, with the new Mk3 Leaf for 2026 likely to perform much better for residual values.

The DS3 E-Tense is another compact electric SUV that has poor residual values. This car has topped the charts of the fastest-depreciating cars previously 

The DS9 EV is a £64,800 executive saloon with battery power. When part-exchanging a three-year-old example, owners will only get back £18,725 as it retains just 28.9% of its new price

The Vauxhall Astra PHEV is one of two plug-in hybrid cars to make the list of 10 fastest depreciating models. Owners will retain just 29.2% of the original price after three years when part-exchanging 

Value retention of the Mazda MX-30 – the Japanese brand’s first mainstream EV – is poor, mostly due to it having a very limited battery range

The Fiat 500e is another EV that’s performing poorly for residual values. It’s unsurprising to see the Italian giant launch a new hybrid version of the latest 500 to counter the fall in demand for electric cars

The tenth fastest depreciating car on this list – and the second plug-in hybrid – is the Audi A8 TFSIe. This electrified £103,275 limo is worth just £31,750 when it’s time to part-ex after three years

The Jaguar I-Pace EV (90kWh 400 R-Dynamic S trim) is next, holding onto a disappointing 28 per cent of its £69,995 OTR price, meaning a three-year-old example is typically worth just £19,575 – an eye-watering loss of £50,420.

Another rapid depreciator is the Lexus UX-e 300e 72.8kWh Takumi, which sees a 71.5 per cent drop in value from the asking price of £51,145 down to just £14,600 when part-exchanging.

Other EVs disappointingly retaining less than a third of their value are two DS EVs – the E-Tense 54kWh Pallas and the E-Tense Opera.

The only non-EVs to make the top 10 are the Vauxhall Astra Plug-in-Hybrid Ultimate – which holds onto a mere 29.2 per cent of its OTR value after three years – and the Audi A8 60 TFSIe PHEV, which is marginally better at 30.7 per cent.