Liquidity value is one of the criteria that many car buyers are concerned about. To help consumers make buying decisions, iSeeCars has analyzed and compiled a list of the vehicles with the best resale value as well as those with the worst resale value after 5 years of ownership.
To create this list, iSeeCars analyzed data from over 1.1 million cars sold in the US market from November 2022 to October 2023. According to the study, vehicles in the US now have lower depreciation rates compared to 2019. This is due to reduced production as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and a limited supply of used cars.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, cars in the US depreciated by an average of about 50% after 5 years of ownership. This rate has decreased to 38.8% in 2023.
25 vehicles with the best resale value after 5 years
According to iSeeCars’ research, the vehicle with the best resale value after 5 years of ownership is the Porsche 911 Coupe with a depreciation rate of only 9.3%, equivalent to $18,094. This indicates a high demand for the Porsche 911 Coupe in the US used car market.
The Porsche 911 Coupe is the vehicle with the best resale value after 5 years of ownership
In addition to the 911 Coupe, the top 25 list includes 3 other Porsche models, namely the 718 Cayman (ranked 2nd), 718 Boxster (12th), and 911 Convertible (15th). There are also 4 sports car models from other brands, including the Subaru BRZ (ranked 6th), Chevrolet Camaro (7th), Ford Mustang (11th), and Chevrolet Corvette (23rd).
“Some sports car models are among the vehicles with the best resale value. We have seen a surge in demand for ‘fun’ cars during the social distancing period to combat the pandemic. This demand continues to be strong in the post-pandemic phase“, explained Karl Brauer, Executive Analyst at iSeeCars.
In addition, half of the top 25 vehicles with the best resale value after 5 years of ownership are from Japanese automakers. These models are mainly from the three major brands Toyota, Honda, and Subaru. Toyota contributes 6 representatives, including the Tacoma, C-HR, Corolla, Tundra, RAV4, and 4Runner. Subaru also has 4 models in the top list, which are the BRZ, Impreza (wagon), Crosstrek, and Impreza (sedan). This is not surprising as Japanese cars have been known for their strong resale value for many years.
Two Korean brands, Hyundai and Kia, have 3 representatives in the top 25. American brands such as Jeep, Chevrolet, and Ford also appear on this list. Meanwhile, Porsche is the only representative of German luxury car brands. Famous brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW are completely absent.
| Rank | Vehicle | Average depreciation rate after 5 years | Difference from suggested retail price (USD) |
| 1 | Porsche 911 (coupe) | 9.3% | 18,094 |
| 2 | Porsche 718 Cayman | 17.6% | 13,372 |
| 3 | Toyota Tacoma | 20.4% | 8,359 |
| 4 | Jeep Wrangler/Wrangler Unlimited | 20.8% | 8,951 |
| 5 | Honda Civic (sedan/hatchback) | 21.5% | 5,817 |
| 6 | Subaru BRZ | 23.4% | 8,114 |
| 7 | Chevrolet Camaro | 24.2% | 10,161 |
| 8 | Toyota C-HR | 24.4% | 6,692 |
| 9 | Subaru Crosstrek | 24.5% | 7,214 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla | 24.5% | 5,800 |
| 11 | Ford Mustang | 24.5% | 10,035 |
| 12 | Porsche 718 Boxster | 25.1% | 20,216 |
| 13 | Toyota Tundra | 25.3% | 12,588 |
| 14 | Kia Rio 5-Door | 25.8% | 5,006 |
| 15 | Porsche 911 (convertible) | 26% | 42,227 |
| 16 | Honda HR-V | 26.2% | 7,318 |
| 17 | Subaru Impreza (wagon) | 26.2% | 6,927 |
| 18 | Kia Rio | 26.3% | 4,959 |
| 19 | Chevrolet Spark | 26.6% | 4,784 |
| 20 | Toyota RAV4 | 27.2% | 8,858 |
| 21 | Hyundai Accent | 27.4% | 5,353 |
| 22 | Toyota 4Runner | 27.4% | 13,147 |
| 23 | Chevrolet Corvette | 27.5% | 22,712 |
| 24 | Nissan Kicks | 27.5% | 6,560 |
| 25 | Subaru Impreza (sedan) | 27.8% | 7,158 |
| Market Average | 38.8% | 17,221 |
Top 25 vehicles with the best resale value after 5 years in the US market
25 vehicles with the worst resale value after 5 years
The top 25 list of vehicles with the worst resale value after 5 years of ownership mainly consists of luxury vehicles. The vehicle with the worst resale value after 5 years is the Maserati Quattroporte with a depreciation rate of 64.5%, equivalent to $90,588. The other four models in the top 5 are all luxury cars, including the BMW 7-Series, Maserati Ghibli, BMW 5-Series (hybrid), and Cadillac Escalade ESV. The remaining 5 models in the top 10 are also luxury vehicles, including the BMW X5, Infiniti QX80, Maserati Levante, Jaguar XF, and Audi A7.
The Maserati Quattroporte is the vehicle with the worst resale value after 5 years of ownership
According to the iSeeCars study, luxury vehicles have an average depreciation rate of 48.1% after 5 years of ownership, while mainstream vehicles have an average depreciation rate of 36.8%. The models with the highest depreciation rates are sedans and luxury SUVs.
“People who tend to keep their cars for a long time don’t need to worry about this depreciation rate“, said Brauer. “However, if you constantly switch cars within a few years, especially luxury sedans or SUVs, you will lose a lot of money“.
| Rank | Vehicle | Average depreciation rate after 5 years |
| 1 | Maserati Quattroporte | 64.5% |
| 2 | BMW 7-Series | 61.8% |
| 3 | Maserati Ghibli | 61.3% |
| 4 | BMW 5-Series (Hybrid) | 58.8% |
| 5 | Cadillac Escalade ESV | 58.5% |
| 6 | BMW X5 Hybrid | 58.2% |
| 7 | Infiniti QX80 | 58.1% |
| 8 | Maserati Levante | 57.8% |
| 9 | Jaguar XF | 57.6% |
| 10 | Audi A7 | 57.2% |
| 11 | Audi Q7 | 56.8% |
| 12 | Cadillac Escalade | 56.5% |
| 13 | Audi A6 | 56.3% |
| 14 | Volvo S90 | 55.8% |
| 15 | Nissan Armada | 55.7% |
| 16 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 55.7% |
| 17 | Lincoln Navigator L | 55.5% |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz GLS | 55.5% |
| 19 | Tesla Model S | 55.5% |
| 20 | BMW 5-Series | 55.3% |
| 21 | BMW X5 | 54.7% |
| 22 | Lincoln Navigator | 54.7% |
| 23 | BMW X5 M | 54% |
| 24 | Range Rover | 53.9% |
| 25 | Cadillac XT5 | 53.9% |
| Market Average | 38.8% |
Top 25 vehicles with the worst resale value after 5 years in the US market
Electric vehicles have poor resale value
The iSeeCars study found that used electric vehicles have the worst resale value in the US market after 5 years of ownership. The depreciation rate of electric vehicles is higher than the overall average depreciation rate of the market (38.8%).
“Used electric vehicles always have a higher depreciation rate than vehicles with internal combustion engines because of the incentives to lower the selling prices of electric vehicles and concerns about battery replacement costs“, commented Brauer. “This trend will continue until electric vehicles no longer need strong incentives to convince buyers and customers are more confident about the long-term ownership costs“.
| Rank | Vehicle | Average depreciation rate after 5 years |
| 1 | Tesla Model 3 | 42.9% |
| Average of electric vehicle segment | 49.1% | |
| 2 | Tesla Model X | 49.9% |
| 3 | Nissan Leaf | 50.8% |
| 4 | Chevrolet Bolt EV | 51.1% |
| 5 | Tesla Model S | 55.5% |
Depreciation rates after 5 years of some electric vehicle models in the US market
Hybrid vehicles have good resale value
In contrast to electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles have a high resale value in the market. In the past 4 years, the average depreciation rate of hybrid vehicles has decreased by nearly 20%, from 56.7% in 2019 to 37.4% in 2023. The combination of high fuel prices and familiar technology has helped expand the market for hybrid vehicles and improve consumer demand.
In the list of the top 7 hybrid vehicles with the best resale value after 5 years of ownership, there are 5 representatives from Toyota, including the Prius, Prius Prime, RAV4 Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid. The other 2 models are the Honda Accord Hybrid and Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid.
| Rank | Vehicle | Average depreciation rate after 5 years |
| 1 | Toyota Prius | 27.9% |
| 2 | Toyota Prius Prime | 28.1% |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 Hybrid | 29.1% |
| 4 | Toyota Camry Hybrid | 35.3% |
| 5 | Honda Accord Hybrid | 36.4% |
| 6 | Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 36.5% |
| 7 | Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid | 37.4% |
| Average of hybrid vehicle segment | 37.4% | |
| 8 | Kia Niro Hybrid | 37.6% |
| 9 | Toyota Avalon Hybrid | 43% |
| 10 | Hyundai Sonata Hybrid | 43.5% |
| 11 | Lexus ES 300h | 45.2% |
| 12 | Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid | 46.1% |
| 13 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 46.2% |
| 14 | Porsche Panamera | 47.5% |
| 15 | BMW 3-Series | 52.3% |
| 16 | BMW X5 Hybrid | 58.2% |
| 17 | BMW 5-Series Hybrid | 58.8% |
Depreciation rates after 5 years of some hybrid vehicle models in the US market
Why do used car dealers prefer white cars?
The preference for white cars among car buyers is significantly higher than other colors, accounting for 35% of the total vehicles produced in 2021.
Why are white cars preferred by used car dealers?
White cars are the top choice for car buyers, surpassing other colors in popularity. In fact, they make up 35% of all vehicles produced in 2021.
