Depreciation can wipe the smile off the face of a new-car buyer faster than driving it head-on into an HGV. The single biggest financial drain when you come to buying your next new car, the dreaded D-word is calculated to write off more than £5.8 billion of the hard-earned money of both consumers and businesses every year.

According to the RAC’s latest Cost of Motoring index, the average new-car buyer faces losing £2,420 in depreciation alone, taking the shine off their pride and joy. Meanwhile, the AA calculates that anyone spending more than £30,000 on their next new car faces losing just over £5,500 a year.

Jeff Paterson of Glass’s Guide, the motor-trade monitoring service, says even status symbols such as the £57,000 Lexus LS saloon, or the £89,000 Mercedes S55 AMG saloon, can slump by tens of thousands the moment owners sign the paperwork. “Cars can depreciate by 40% in their first year, and by the time they are three years old they may have seen 65% of their original value wiped off.”

All three groups cite over-supply and a never-ending flow of new niche models for plummeting values. Despite the trade’s tendency to brush it under the showroom carpet, you don’t have to buy a depreciation disaster. By observing some basic rules you can avoid a devaluation calamity: below are the top cars for holding value, as researched by Glass’s Guide.

NEW

SMALL CHANGE

Honda Jazz 1.4 i-DSi SE, £10,750. Retains 57% of list price after a three-year and 36,000-mile period

The Jazz is the stuff of minor miracles. This little runaround has the sort of residual values that make the big German car makers look like muggers. The cost-effective Tardis-like family holdall tops all independent customer- satisfaction surveys. As a result, demand outstrips supply in the used market, making this one new-car buy that won’t lead to sleepless nights.

LOW-PRICE PREMIUM

Audi A3 2.0 TDI 140 Sport,
£20,080. Retains 53% of list price after three years and 36,000 miles

Whether you’re a private buyer or business user, it pays to go for the premium badge in this market category. And best of all is Audi’s famed four-ringed badge, when planted on the nose of an A3. All the 2 litre TDI 140 models deliver excellent resale values after three years.

BUSINESS-CLASS EXPRESS

Mercedes CLS 320 CDI,
£43,275. Retains 58% of list price after three years and 36,000 miles

Explore Features

• Porsche

• BMW

• Mercedes

• Ferrari

• Bentley

• Audi

• Maserati

• Aston Martin

• Jaguar

• VW