Toyota, Land Rover Top 3-Year-Old Value Retention Report

MCLEAN, VA - October 4, 2016: In their most recent Perspective report, NADA Used Car Guide analysts detailed the value performance of used 2013 model year passenger cars and light-duty trucks.

"There were several 3-year-old models that jumped up the rankings in their respective segments," said Jonathan Banks, vice president of analysis and vehicle analytics at NADA Used Car Guide.

Banks' coworker, Larry Dixon, director of market intelligence added, "Some models predictably did better than others, with one mainstream model outperforming luxury models as well."

That mainstream model Dixon refers to is the 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser. For the second consecutive year, Toyota's discontinued off-roader took the top retention value spot among all makes, models and segments.

David Paris, senior automotive analyst at NADA Used Car Guide said, "The FJ Cruiser has a cult-like following in the used market. Along with other factors, high enthusiast demand for the 4x4 managed to increase its retention score by 1 percentage point over last year's report to 92.5 percent."

While the full listing of retention values can be found in the free Perspective Report on the NADA Used Car Guide website, the top five highest and lowest ranked three-year-old vehicles by segment are as follows:

5 Highest Ranked 2013 Model Year Value Retention Performers By Vehicle Segment

1. Toyota FJ Cruiser – Non-Luxury SUV/Truck – 92.5% of value retained
2. Land Rover Range Rover – Luxury SUV/Truck – 67.8% of value retained
3. Subaru XV Crosstrek – Non-Luxury Car – 63.3% of value retained
4. Ford Mustang – Non-Luxury Sports Car – 60.7% of value retained
5. Porsche 911 (997) – Luxury Sports Car – 57.9% of value retained

5 Lowest Ranked 2013 Model Year Value Retention Performers By Vehicle Segment

• Smart FORTWO – Subcompact Car – 24.8% of value retained
• Suzuki Kizashi – Mid-Size Car – 26.7% of value retained
• Suzuki SX4 – Compact Car – 29.5% of value retained
• Suzuki Grand Vitara – Compact Utility – 30.1% of value retained
• Chevrolet Impala – Large Car – 30.6% of value retained

Top Non-Luxury Nameplate

Toyota vehicles dominated pickup truck, SUV and Van segment value retention in this year's report. As a result, the brand ranked highest in their respective segments six times. The brand was also the top non-luxury nameplate in NADA Used Car Guide's 2015 Used Vehicle Retained Value Report: 3-Year-Old Models with an equal share of highest segment rankings.

Top Luxury Nameplate

Land Rover replaced Audi in this year's value retention standings according to the Perspective report. The off-road capable brand managed three highest rankings which include the Range Rover Evoque (Luxury Subcompact Utility), LR4 (Luxury Mid-Size Utility), and Range Rover (Luxury Large Utility).

How Retention Values Are Determined

When asked about the method NADA Used Car Guide analysts used to determine 3-year value retention, Larry Dixon explained, "The retention calculation is a function of a three month average of NADA Used Car Guide's most recent average trade-in value, divided by a vehicle's average typically-equipped Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). A vehicle's rate of depreciation, and ultimately retention, is in part a product of the level of discounting at the time of new. For this reason, MSRPs did not include any incentives or rebates available at the time of purchase."

The full October Perspective report listing all values, how the retention figures were calculated, and vehicle-specific information can be downloaded for free on the NADA Used Car Guide website.