Most depreciating used cars

THE TOP 20 MOST DEPRECIATING USED CARS OF 2020

The second-hand market generally saw prices rise last year but there were some notable exceptions. James Baggott reports.

Mercedes fills the top two spots of the Top 20 list of biggest depreciating used cars last year, according to new retail pricing data from Auto Trader.

The search giant has compiled exclusively for Car Dealer the list of the cars that dropped the most in value last year when compared with 2019.

The Mercedes GLA was the biggest faller, dropping 13.1 per cent from an average price of £25,551 in 2019 to £22,206 in 2020.

Auto Trader’s data shows the second-biggest depreciator was the Mercedes C-Class, which dropped by 13 per cent.

Luxury car brands make up the majority of those in the list – which you can see on the right – with BMW, Porsche, Range Rover and Jaguar models all featuring in the Top 20.

Overall, used car prices rose last year as a combination of increased demand – thanks to many people wanting to avoid public transport – and short supply pushed prices up.

However, there were some casualties, as the list from Auto Trader reveals.

Richard Walker, data and insight director for the firm said: ‘Since very early on in the pandemic, retailers have largely held firm with their pricing strategies and resisted the urge to slash prices to entice consumers on to their digital or, when permitted, physical forecourts.

‘With such high demand in the market, there’s simply been no reason to do so.

‘Coupled with varying supply constraints, these factors meant that by the close of 2020 we’d tracked nine months of consecutive price growth for used cars across the market.

‘This included consistent growth in every body type, age group and, with the exception of AFVs, every fuel type.

‘However, at a more granular level we did see notable drops in average retail prices for some models and derivatives last year.’

Walker said that as dealerships reopen on April 12 and consumer pent-up demand is realised, prices are likely to remain strong.

He added: ‘With levels of consumer demand accelerating significantly since January and now at record levels, we’ll watch with interest as to whether these models are able to reverse their negative trajectory.’

We did see notable drops in average retail prices for some models and derivatives last year.

1Mercedes-Benz GLA Class Down 13.1%

Type: Petrol, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £25,551 Price 2020: £22,206

2Mercedes-Benz C-Class Down 13.0%

Type: Petrol, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £37,895 Price 2020: £32,980

3BMW X3 Down 11.5%

Type: Diesel, Manual Age: 10 – 15 years Price 2019: £3,967 Price 2020: £3,510

4Lexus RX 400h Down 11.1%

Type: Petrol Hybrid, Auto Age: 10 – 15 years Price 2019: £6,581 Price 2020: £5,848

5Ford Grand C-Max Down 11.1%

Type: Diesel, Manual Age: 5 – 10 years Price 2019: £6,506 Price 2020: £5,785

6Mazda CX-5 Down 10.6%

Type: Diesel, Manual Age: 5 – 10 years Price 2019: £9,963 Price 2020: £8,904

7Peugeot 308 Down 10.5%

Type: Diesel, Manual Age: 10 – 15 years Price 2019: £1,989 Price 2020: £1,781

8Jaguar F-Type Down 10.1%

Type: Petrol, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £49,710 Price 2020: £44,683

9Toyota C-HR Down 9.8%

Type: Petrol, Manual Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £18,368 Price 2020: £16,564

10 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Down 9.6%

Type: Petrol, Auto Age: up to 1 year Price 2019: £101,970 Price 2020: £92,148

11 Nissan Qashqai Down 9.5%

Type: Petrol, Manual Age: 10 – 15 years Price 2019: £3,508 Price 2020: £3,176

12 Toyota Auris Estate Down 9.4%

Type: Petrol, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £17,886 Price 2020: £16,197

13 Fiat Tipo Down 9.0%

Type: Petrol, Manual Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £8,273 Price 2020: £7,528

14 Nissan Qashqai+2 Down 8.9%

Type: Diesel, Manual Age: 5 – 10 years Price 2019: £7,510 Price 2020: £6,838

15 Porsche Macan Down 8.7%

Type: Petrol, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £53,792 Price 2020: £49,100

16 Seat Leon Down 8.7%

Type: Petrol, Manual Age: 10 – 15 years Price 2019: £3,686 Price 2020: £3,367

17 Range Rover Velar Down 8.6%

Type: Diesel, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £45,809 Price 2020: £41,861

18 BMW 1 Series Convertible Down 8.6%

Type: Diesel, Manual Age: 5 – 10 years Price 2019: £7,821 Price 2020: £7,148

19 Range Rover Evoque Down 8.5%

Type: Diesel, Auto Age: 5 – 10 years Price 2019: £17,826 Price 2020: £16,306

20 Jaguar E-Pace Down 8.4%

Type: Diesel, Auto Age: 1 – 3 years Price 2019: £32,424 Price 2020: £29,685