These Are The Fastest Depreciating Cars You Can Buy Right Now

Unsurprisingly, most of them are luxury models.

If you’re in the market for a used car, iSeeCars.com has compiled a handy list of the top ten cars with the highest depreciation rates after three years. With car loan rates increasing, buying a used car that’s only a few years old is a smart option. According to iSeeCars.com, the average vehicle depreciates 35 percent after three years, but this can vary depending on the make and model. The highest-depreciating vehicles lose between 46 and 52 percent of their value.

More than 4.1 million car sales were analyzed to identify models with the greatest loss in value after three years. Unsurprisingly, most models with the highest depreciation list are luxury cars. “Luxury brands are known for depreciating at a higher rate because they are often leased to keep monthly payments down, which lowers the demand for these vehicles in the used car market,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly. “While some luxury models tend to quickly lose a lot of their value, they still don’t drop in price enough to attract used car buyers who may be reluctant to pay the premium for high-end trims and technological features.”

Topping the list is the BMW 5 Series, which depreciated 52.6 percent and 1.5 times more than average in three years. As a result, the average price for a used three-year old 5 Series is just $30,846. Other luxury models with the highest depreciation rates include the Mercedes E-Class (49.9%) BMW 3 Series (49.8%), and Audi A3 (47.9%). The Audi A3 was the most affordable luxury car on the list, with an average selling price of $21,120. The second highest-depreciating car is the Volkswagen Passat, which loses 50.7 percent of its value in three years and has an average selling price of $14,906 in the used car market.

Close behind the Passat is the Ford Taurus, which loses 49.7% of its original purchase price. Considering Ford will no longer be selling the Taurus in America, its value should plummet even further in the next few years. Falling behind the Taurus is the discontinued Chrysler 200 at 48.4% and an average cost of $14,011, and the Volkswagen Jetta, which has a depreciation rate of 48.1% and an average selling price of $13,157. While most of the highest depreciating cars that made the list are sedans, SUVs and crossovers can lose their value fast too. Only two made the top ten list: the Cadillac SRX (47.2%) and Buick Enclave (46.8%).

“Two luxury crossover SUVs, the Cadillac SRX and the Buick Enclave, make the otherwise car-dominated list in the ninth and tenth spots making them attractive options for people interested in this booming vehicle segment,” said Ly. “Trucks and truck-based SUVs are known for having the highest value retention, which explains why these vehicle types are absent from the top 10 list. Trucks as a vehicle category depreciate 23.3 percent in three years, which is two-thirds of the 35 percent average across all vehicle segments.”