Toyota, Skoda and Ford Dominate in first Irish Residual Value Analysis

For buyers lucky enough to be in a postion to consider splashing out on a new car (just over 77,250 of you so far this year) financial considerations such as fuel, warranty, servicing and all of the other factors that make up a cars TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) are extremely important.
Although largely silent - one of the the biggest costs for car owners is depreciation. Hot on the heels of our new vehicle valuation service, www.textcheck.ie -(Text VALUE followed by your reg to 51155) the Motorcheck team have today produced the industry's first comprehensive analysis of residual values. The study examined a wide range of cars in key segments and the results show that the most popular categories are dominated by a small number of marques.
The Toyota Yaris, Auris and Corolla along with Skoda's Fabia, Octavia and Superb shared top billing with the Ford Focus and Opel's Insignia.
The study used a sample of 12,530 of the top selling vehicles in Ireland and examined the percentage of the original purchase value retained by those vehicles over a three-year period. The results were very interesting.

Small Hatch Segment

In the Small Hatch Petrol segment, the top-selling version of the Toyota Yaris retained 66% of its original value after three years, ahead of the Peugeot 207 (65%) and Hyundai i20 (64%).

Small Hatch Petrol Segment Small Hatch Petrol Segment
Small Hatch Petrol Segment

While in the Small Hatch Diesel Segment, Skoda's Fabia 1.4 TDI retained 67% of its original value ahead of the Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI (66%) and Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI (65%).

Small Hatch Diesel Segment Small Hatch Diesel Segment
Small Hatch Diesel Segment

 

Mid-Range Hatch Segment

In the popular Mid-Range Hatch Segment, when it came to petrol engine models, the Ford Focus retained 63% of its value after three years, ahead of the Volkswagen Golf with 60% and the Toyota Auris with 54%.

Mid Range Hatch Petrol Segment Mid Range Hatch Petrol Segment
Mid Range Hatch Petrol Segment

For Diesel Powered Cars, the Toyota Auris retained the largest portion of its original purchase price (62%) ahead of the Volkswagen Golf (60%) and Hyundai i30 (59%).

Mid Range Hatch Diesel Segment Mid Range Hatch Diesel Segment
Mid Range Hatch Diesel Segment

Mid-Range Saloon Segment

Toyota's Corolla saloon retained 58% of its value to be the car with the best residual value in the Mid-Range Petrol Saloon segment ahead of the Ford Focus (49%) and Nissan Tiida (47%).

Mid Range Saloon Petrol Segment Mid Range Saloon Petrol Segment
Mid Range Saloon Petrol Segment

However when it came to diesels in this segment, which make up the overwhelming majority of this class, the Skoda Octavia was number 1, retaining 62% of its original value ahead of the Toyota Corolla (60%) and Ford Focus (60%).

Mid Range Saloon Diesel Segment Mid Range Saloon Diesel Segment
Mid Range Saloon Diesel Segment

Large Saloon Segment

Moving up to the Large Saloon Petrol Segment, the Opel Insignia retains 49% of its original value after three years, with the Toyota Avensis retaining 49% and the Mazda 6 retaining 43%.

Large Saloon Petrol Segment Large Saloon Petrol Segment
Large Saloon Petrol Segment

In the Large Diesel Saloon Segment, the Skoda Superb is the overwhelming champion in this class, retaining 61% of its original value compared to the Ford Mondeo with 52% and the Opel Insignia with 52%.

Large Diesel Saloon Segment Large Diesel Saloon Segment
Large Diesel Saloon Segment

What to Buy?

According to the results buying a small diesel-powered hatchback is the shrewdest decision when it comes to residual values as they on average retain 62% of their new value after three years.
This is followed by the small petrol hatchback segment with 61% and the mid-range diesel hatch. Diesel powered cars hold their value better than petrol powered cars in every category of the Motorcheck report, with the biggest difference on average between Large Diesel Saloons which retained 50% of their value after three years and Large Petrol Saloons which retained just 43% of their value after three years.

Average % Retained Value Per Segment Average % Retained Value Per Segment
Average % Retained Value Per Segment

Understanding which car will depreciate the least before you buy it new could save you thousands when it comes to trading it in or selling privately later.

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by Shane Teskey
All author posts
Christian Visser - October 19, 2012 at 9:37 pm
No mention of the Nissan Qashqai petrol or Diesel, However Tiida gets mentioned and they are worthless, an 07 1.5 petrol Almera is worth more than an 08 Nissan Tiida 1.6 petrol. This is so so wrong, I would love to know were you guys got your Figures from?
Shane Teskey - October 24, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Hi Christian, Unfortunately the small suv / crossover segment wasn't included in the analysis this time around. Maybe next time. The segments that were included in the analysis covered a sample of the best selling models in 2009 (where a large enough sample was available) and was based solely on 2009 registered vehicles. Hence the Tiida rather than the Almera. But for the record we wouldn't agree that a 07 Almera would be worth more than a 08 Tiida. That's what's so interesting about a used cars value. Everyone has their own personal opinion but in the end it's hard to argue with the figures when you are looking at thousands of sample vehicles.
Tom farrell - October 24, 2012 at 4:26 pm
in the large diesel saloon class , you list skoda superb as best in class , why is there no listing of the toyota avensis ? As the overwhelming best selling car in its class and also probably the most sought after second hand diesel car in its class why have you not got it listed ? i would be interested to see where it comes in survey and my guess would be it would be up there with skoda superb .
Shane Teskey - October 24, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Hi Tom, Thanks for the comment. You're not the first to mention this to us! Leaving out the Avensis was certainly an oversight but one we look forward to correcting when the analysis is repeated later in the year.
Tom farrell - October 24, 2012 at 10:06 pm
how can you possibly say leaving out the toyota avensis was an oversight ?? It is the best selling car in its class , the fourth best selling car overall in the country ... so how could one possibly forget it .. ask any dealer and he will tell you it is the most wanted second hand car on the market along with the toyota corrolla .. also you make no mention of honda civic or accord ? ?
Shane Teskey - October 24, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Hi Tom, Point taken! Yes the Avensis is certainly a popular car and continues to sell well in Ireland. 2,860 of the model have been sold this year representing 3.7% of the overall market. That's 17.7% behind the impressive total of 3,473 for the same period last year. We'll be sure to include it next time around.
john - October 25, 2012 at 12:08 am
Dont think so, most boring car in the world. Toyotas best built cars in the world /more like, most recalled cars in world. Materials in them are apalling, old school japanese tin. You can have the best built straw house in the world, won't keep the wolf away......
Hugh Sheehy - October 25, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Very good buying guide for prospective car buyers - both new and used. The Ford Focus still king of the c-segment hatch. Interestingly, its the petrol version that's featured. Fast forward a few years and it will be the 1.6 diesel......
Shane Teskey - October 26, 2012 at 11:41 am
What about the new eco jet engine Hugh? Don't you think that's going to put Petrol ahead of Diesel?