Introduction
Depreciation affects almost all cars (aside from ultra-rare and older collectables), typically losing 15-35% of their value in the first year of ownership alone. Some cars fare better than others, though, with certain makes and models commanding higher residual values.
In theory, the best-selling new cars should hold their value (it stands to reason that the models buyers want new will also be popular used), but is that the reality?
In this guide, we’ve calculated the depreciation levels of the best-selling cars in the UK (based on available data), comparing their initial retail price against used, resale values, giving a detailed insight into how much cars typically depreciate.
We’ve also used our own empirical evidence. Where possible, our Car Depreciation Guide uses Gap Insurance payout data, offering ‘real-world’ examples across the best-selling models on the market.
First, though, let’s look at the basics.
What Are The Top 10 Best-Selling Cars (2026)
- Ford Puma | 29,642 units
- Kia Sportage | 25,828 units
- Jaecoo 7 | 23,340 units
- Nissan Qashqai | 23,012 units
- Vauxhall Corsa | 18,470 units
- Volkswagen Golf | 17,552 units
- MG HS | 16,721 units
- MINI Cooper | 16,295 units
- Volvo XC40 | 16,031 units
- Tesla Model Y | 15,341 units
Our guide focuses on the top 10 best-selling cars of the first half of 2026, according to SMNT (The Society Of Motor Manufacturers & Traders). Alongside expected manufacturers such as Nissan, Vauxhall and Ford, other EV-focused brands such as Tesla, MG and Jaecoo make up the top 10.
What Causes Car Depreciation?
Although there are a wide range of factors which cause depreciation (such as colour and ULEZ compliance, for example), the most common influences typically fall within the following categories:
- Mileage: Above average mileage or mileage ‘milestones’ (such as 50,000 or 100,000 miles) will negatively impact your car’s resale value.
- Owner History: The number of owners will affect a car’s residual value, as will the type of owner. For example, a car driven by one previous owner, primarily doing ‘motorway miles’, will have a higher resale value than one with many owners and lots of city driving.
- Maintenance History: Cars with full service history and a ‘clean’ MOT history (without major issues) have a higher resale value than poorly maintained vehicles.
- Fuel Type & Economy: As EVs increase in popularity, other fuel types decrease, with diesel cars in particular being less attractive on the used-car market.
If you’d like to learn more about these factors (plus many others), take a look at our guide, which explains Why Do Cars Depreciate?
What Are The Main Issues Of Depreciation?
Depreciation & Selling Your Car
Most drivers will expect to sell their car for less than they paid. However, higher depreciation can create a shocking difference between expectation and reality.
When you come to sell your car, a much lower-than-anticipated value could impact your finances, meaning you either have to borrow more to buy your next vehicle or choose a less expensive model.
Depreciation & Car Finance
As we’ve already discussed, most reasonable drivers will expect their car to be worth less when they come to sell or trade it in.
If it’s financed though (perhaps through PCP, Hire Purchase or Leasing), depreciation could complicate things. When the level of depreciation on your car is faster than the amount of your total finance balance, you could be left in ‘negative equity’, with the amount owing being greater than the value of the vehicle.
Let’s say you drive a BMW 3 Series, financed at £30,000 with monthly repayments of £250. After 12 months, your car will have an overall finance balance left of £27,000 (£30,000 - 12 x £250). Over the same period, however, depreciation could have reduced its value by £9,000, worth just £21,000, leaving a shortfall of £6,000 (£27,000 finance balance - £21,000 car value).
This financial shortfall makes selling or trading in your car much more difficult (and expensive) as you’re responsible for covering that difference first.
If you’re trading your car in, dealerships often offer ‘negative equity loans’ which will refinance your shortfall, adding it to the monthly payments of your new vehicle. However, this sort of financing should be considered carefully. It means you’re still paying your old car off whilst also paying for your new one. What’s more, negative equity loans often come with higher interest rates than typical car finance.
You can’t legally sell a car with outstanding finance (which we’ve covered in more detail in our guide: Buying, Selling & Trading A Car With Outstanding Finance). With negative equity on your finance, that essentially means you’ll be paying out (to cover the finance), before you sell, leaving you with nothing.
Depreciation & Total Loss or Write-Off
If your car is declared a total loss, or ‘write-off’, where it is deemed too expensive to repair, or it’s not able to be recovered, then depreciation can cause issues.
Typically, following an accident, fire or theft (although other total loss circumstances do occur), your motor insurer will make a payout which is representative of your car's current market value; the amount it’s worth at the time. Due to depreciation, that amount could be significantly less than what you originally paid or still owe on finance (as we’ve already covered).
That means that you’ll be financially liable for repaying the remaining finance balance, or contributing to replace your car ‘like-for’like’.
There are a number of Gap Insurance policies available that can help protect against these eventualities, offering different levels of protection, depending on your circumstances. Here’s a very quick breakdown of the key types of cover:
- Vehicle Replacement Insurance: Pays the difference between your insurance payout and the amount needed to replace your car ‘like for like’.
- Return To Invoice: Pays any difference between your insurance settlement figure and the amount you paid, or still owe on finance for your vehicle.
- Agreed Value Insurance: For cars bought outside the 180 day window, Agreed Value will pay out any difference between your insurance settlement figure and the agreed ‘Glass Guide’ price on the day you took out your policy.
Other Optional Cover To Consider
- Tyre & Alloy Insurance: Tyre & Alloy Wheel Insurance provides cover for your wheels against scrapes, scuffs, scratches and punctures, providing repair or replacement when needed. Keeping your wheels well maintained can help reduce your levels of depreciation.
- Scratch & Dent Cover: Scratch & Dent Cover provides ‘spot repair’ on smaller bumps, scrapes and scratches to your bodywork that you may otherwise leave untreated. Well-maintained bodywork keeps your car in better condition and potentially reduces its level of depreciation.
Read More: The Complete Gap Insurance Guide.
How Much Does The Average Car Depreciate?
As we’ve already discovered, depreciation levels vary depending on a number of factors. However, for most cars, a depreciation level of around 15-35% in the first year, rising to 50% over three years can be typical. That means, on average, your vehicle will lose around half it’s value in three years, regardless of whether you bought it new or used.
Try our Free Depreciation Calculator for an overview estimate of how much your car could lose, based on the general classification.
There are some steps you can take to minimise depreciation and get the most for your car when you come to sell it. Read our guide: How To Improve Your Car Resale Value for more information.
Depreciation In The Top 10 Best-Selling Cars (2026)
Ford Puma
The Ford Puma has undergone many evolutions since its inception in 1997, with the latest model topping the list of best sellers, but does its popularity translate into a good residual value?
New models retail between £27,145 and £35,500, depending on the spec, which is a great price for quite a lot of car; no surprise then that it’s a buyer’s favourite.
We calculated the depreciation levels of the ever-popular (and slightly sportier) 1.0 ST Line (the most popular model on Autotrader) and found that it lost £9,284 in the first year and £12,368 in year two, representing depreciation levels of 31.1% and 41.4% respectively.
That’s quite a significant loss.
- New Price: £29,845
- One Year Old: £20,561
- Two Years Old: £17,477
Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage has been popular for years, thanks to it’s manufacturer backed 7 year warranty, which offers drivers some extra peace of mind.
Originally ‘electrified’ in 2018 (when a mild hybrid option was introduced), the current, fifth generation, like most cars, focuses heavily on full hybrid and PHEV models.
Here, we’ve used the 1.6 T-GDi GT-Line, which retails new for £33,895.
In its first year, the average Sportage depreciates 21.9%, losing £7,398. This rises to 32.4% in year two, a loss in value of £10,991
- New Price: £33,895
- One Year Old: £26,497
- Two Years Old: £22,904
Jaecoo 7
Quite possibly the biggest disruptor in the UK car market right now, the Jaecoo 7 has firmly established itself as a genuine option for drivers looking for a mid-sized SUV, with plenty of practicality and a more-than-attractive price point. It even made our Top 10 EV SUV list too.
As a ‘newcomer’, though, with little heritage (and Chinese manufacture to boot), how does it fare on resale?
New, the Jaecoo 7 retails at £35,170 (for the SHS Luxury model), which drops to £26,613 after one year, representing an £8,557 loss; a 24.3% depreciation level.
- New Price: £35,170
- One Year Old: £26,613
Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai (1.3 Acenta) is a whole lot of car for the money, with new models retailing at £30,635. That’s no surprise, as Nissan has historically been one of the leading manufacturers competing on price.
After one year, expect to lose £11,369 and £13,716 in year two, representing depreciation levels of 37.1% and 44.8%
- New Price: £30,635
- One Year Old: £19,266
- Two Years Old: £16,919
Vauxhall Corsa
It’s no surprise that the Vauxhall Corsa has made this year’s list of top sellers; after all, it’s the 5th best-selling car of all time in the UK. Sadly, it’s also repeatedly one of the most stolen (in fairness, part of that is due to its popularity), so how do those two metrics affect resale values?
New, on-the-road prices for the Corsa 1.2 Turbo GS Auto (the model we’ve compared here) start at £26,565, which, based on average resale values, drops to £14,785 after one year of driving (a loss of £11,810), based on an average mileage between 5-10,000 miles. This equates to a depreciation level of 44.5%
In the second year, depreciation reaches 48.2%, with a two-year-old model averaging a resale value of £13,767 (a loss of £12,798).
- New Price: £26,565
- One Year Old: £14,785
- Two Years Old: £13,767
Our Data
Our Gap Insurance payout data for the last twelve months shows that, on average, Vauxhall Corsas have depreciated by 13.5%, with an average loss in value of £1,591. However, it’s important to note that the average purchase price of our vehicle examples is £11,422, suggesting much older vehicles.
The takeaway here is that depreciation rates tend to slow over time, as the car gets older, with years 1-3 being the heaviest.
Volkswagen Golf
Another car from the UK’s all-time best-seller list, not just this year and for good reason. Since its debut in 1974, the Golf has delivered a perfect blend of usability, style, comfort and reliability; in essence, it does a bit of everything, really well.
With more alternatives flooding the market, though, from the premium Audi A3 to the fully electric Cupra Born, how does it fare on the second-hand market?
For our comparison, we chose the iconic GTI model (2.0 TSI), which retails at £41,860. The VW Golf GTI loses £11,153 in year one and £12,449 in year two; that equates to depreciation levels of 26.6% and 29.7%
- New Price: £41,860
- One Year Old: £30,707
- Two Years Old: £29,411
MG HS
It’s amazing that an MG makes the top 10 best-seller list for 2026, given that the manufacturer actually went out of business in 2005.
Now under Chinese control with SAIC Motors, the brand has become increasingly popular with drivers looking for low-cost, straightforward motoring, whether that’s petrol-powered or hybrid.
Much like Hyundai, the brand has benefited from convenience, having plenty of stock available and a quick turnaround on new cars. That could impact depreciation levels, however.
If you buy a new MG HS 1.5 T-GDI Trophy, be prepared to lose around £9,982 (34.4% depreciation) in year one and £12,462 in year two (42.9% depreciation).
- New Price: £28,995
- One Year Old: £19,103
- Two Years Old: £16,533
Mini Cooper
Released in 1961, two years after the original Mini, the Mini Cooper has long been a style icon on British roads. Drivers have often paid a premium for standout design, fun handling, and, generally, owning a part of motoring history.
Does that premium hold up well, though, when it comes to selling your Cooper?
A new Mini Cooper Sport, three-door (in abundance on Autotrader, especially between 2024 and 2025), costs £34,785 from new, dropping to £25,085 after one year and £23,893 after two (on average).
That’s first and second-year depreciation of 27.9% and 31.3%. Not the worst offender on our list, but still equating to value losses of £9,700 and £10,892, respectively.
- New Price: £34,785
- One Year Old: £25,085
- Two Years Old: £23,893
Our Data
We’ve settled claims on several Mini Coopers (not limited to Mini Cooper Sport) over the last twelve months.
Based on the initial purchase price of the vehicles, motor insurance settlement figures and our payout amounts, the average level of depreciation currently sits at 26.7%, with an average loss in value of £6,344.89.
Volvo XC40
Here, we’ve compared the popular XC40 B4 Plus (Dark Edition), which retails at £41,260. After one year, average resale prices are £29,202, dropping to £27,814 after two.
That’s an average loss of £12,058, a 29.2% depreciation level in year one and £13,446, a depreciation level of 32.6% in year two.
- New Price: £41,260
- One Year Old: £29,202
- Two Years Old: £27,814
Our Data
In the last year, we’ve paid out one Volvo XC40 driver. They originally bought their vehicle for £42,039 (please note, the model may be a different variant to our comparison above). After it was declared a total loss, their insurance settlement figure was £31,707, leaving a loss in value of £10,332.
That loss is 24.6% depreciation.
Tesla Model Y
Last on our list is the Tesla Model Y. Although it places 10th on the overall best-selling list, it repeatedly tops EV-only charts, being the best-selling electric car for 2023 with just over 35,000 sold.
That said, Tesla has had a tumultuous history, with public perception fluctuating month on month.
When we originally calculated Tesla Model Y depreciation in 2024, levels were around 19% for the first year. How do newer models compare? We’ve calculated our figures on the popular Long Range AWD variant.
If you buy your Model Y new, it will lose (on average) £10,189 in the first year and £20,490 in the second, equating to depreciation levels of 19.6% and 39.4%.
- New Price: £52,000
- One Year Old: £41,811
- Two Years Old: £31,510
What Are The Highest Depreciating Models In The Top 10 Best-Selling Car List? (2026)
In our study, the highest depreciating models are:
- Vauxhall Corsa: Highest depreciation based on a percentage of initial value (44.5%)
- Volvo XC40: Highest depreciation based on overall amount lost (£12,058)
Our Methodology
Throughout this depreciation guide, we used the new, standard list price (RRP) of one consistent model variation (per model). For example, when comparing the new, year one and year two prices of an XC40, we ensured we only compared the B4 MHEV Dark variant throughout, removing any misleading price differences from other variants, such as a Black Edition or B3.
We looked at the selling price of the same models on the used market (via Autotrader), with a mileage range in year one between 5,000 and 10,000 miles and 10,000 and 15,000 miles in year two.
This wasn’t always feasible, but mileage was kept between 5,000 and 15,000 miles where possible.
Depreciation has been calculated using the amount lost as a percentage of the RRP.
Considerations: Our method doesn’t account for any discounts, sales, or offers that may be available from time to time. Our method also doesn’t consider any extras that may be added to each available used model.
Where possible, we have avoided any used car declared a write-off in any category.
Our Data
Our data is comprised of Gap Insurance payout data based on the last 12 months' claims. Using the original purchase price of the vehicle, plus insurance settlement figures, we’re able to calculate the level of depreciation on individual cars.
Please note: Not all data relates to new cars; hence, depreciation levels vary.
Our Final Word
Being one of the UK’s best-selling cars doesn’t necessarily mean holding onto value particularly well. Demand certainly helps, but our figures show that depreciation varies considerably.
Some cars, such as the Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Golf and Mini Cooper, fare relatively well in the first couple of years, whilst others, including the Vauxhall Corsa and Nissan Qashqai, lose a much larger proportion of their original value.
Even among cars selling in huge numbers, there’s no single pattern.
That doesn’t mean we’d recommend choosing your next car based on depreciation alone. Price, practicality, running costs, reliability and, ultimately, whether you actually like the car will probably matter more. However, if you’re deciding between two or three models, knowing that one could retain several thousand pounds more over the same ownership period is certainly worth considering.
Depreciation becomes particularly important if you’re financing your car, planning to change it after a relatively short period or buying new, when the largest falls in value typically occur.
Perhaps the clearest conclusion is that popularity alone isn’t enough to protect a car from depreciation. The best-selling car and the best-value car to own aren’t necessarily the same thing.
