The wild ups and downs in the auto market over the past few years have made it difficult to determine when a car price is a good value or a ripoff. Though things are slowly returning to normal, new vehicle inventory shortages caused many used prices to climb. A recent iSeeCars study found that some used models’ prices have remained elevated to the point that it’s a better idea to buy new, and so the study offers these top 20 cars to buy new.
iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer said, “Buyers seeking a used car value should avoid these cars, which offer less than a 10 percent savings compared to a brand-new model. At these prices, shoppers are better off simply buying a new model and getting the full new-car experience at a slightly higher cost.” However, it’s important to point out that the numbers iSeeCars listed are averages, so it might be possible to find a used bargain despite the not-so-promising study results.
The list of the top 20 cars to buy new includes a few with more than 8% depreciation, but all models in the top 10 had less than 6% depreciation over their first year of use:
| Top 20 Cars To Buy New vs. Lightly Used – iSeeCars Study | ||||
| Rank | Model | % Difference Used Over New | $ Difference Used Over New | Used Price |
| 1 | Land Rover Range Rover | 2.8% | $4,067 | $147,311 |
| 2 | Kia Rio | -0.1% | -$21 | $18,682 |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | -2.3% | -$4,587 | $196,112 |
| 4 | Ford Maverick | -4.1% | -$1,385 | $32,505 |
| 5 | Ford Maverick Hybrid | -4.4% | -$1,474 | $32,039 |
| 6 | Toyota Sequoia Hybrid | -4.6% | -$3,737 | $77,653 |
| 7 | Toyota Corolla Hybrid | -5.0% | -$1,359 | $26,038 |
| 8 | Toyota RAV4 Hybrid | -5.3% | -$2,131 | $37,727 |
| 9 | Honda Civic | -5.5% | -$1,577 | $26,934 |
| 10 | Kia Sportage Hybrid | -5.9% | -$2,085 | $33,397 |
| 11 | Tesla Model X* | -6.9% | -$5,993 | $80,471 |
| 12 | Nissan Versa | -7.1% | -$1,480 | $19,452 |
| 13 | Honda CR-V Hybrid | -7.5% | -$2,963 | $36,474 |
| 14 | Toyota Corolla Hatchback | -7.9% | -$2,131 | $24,838 |
| 15 | Chevrolet Tahoe | -8.1% | -$6,079 | $69,042 |
| 16 | Tesla Model Y* | -8.3% | -$3,867 | $42,649 |
| 17 | Chevrolet Corvette | -8.4% | -$6,945 | $76,050 |
| 18 | Chevrolet Traverse | -8.5% | -$3,782 | $40,648 |
| 19 | GMC Sierra 1500 | -8.5% | -$5,678 | $60,787 |
| 20 | Honda Civic Hatchback | -8.8% | -$2,700 | $28,006 |
| Overall Average | -12.8% | -$5,778 | $39,328 | |
High-end premium vehicles tend to depreciate faster than mainstream models, so it’s surprising to see that the Range Rover gained value after one year, with average prices running more than $4,000 over the new MSRP. The Kia Rio nearly broke even, with just 0.1 percent depreciation, likely because its new price tag is so reasonable.
That said, not all used vehicles are such a bad deal. iSeeCars found that the Mercedes-Benz EQS depreciates an average of 47.8 percent, with savings of more than $65,000 off the car’s six-figure price tag. So check out the list of 20 cars that have depreciated so much they’re better to buy used than new.