Features
16 juil 18

Tesla is the most expensive used car in the U.S.

The average price for a used Tesla in the U.S. is $64,988 (€55,575), while the cheapest brand is Smart – a used one can be had for about $8,350 (€7,140). 

These prices are based on a snapshot by Thinknum of the inventory data of CarMax, the world's leading car reseller by volume.  

Standard depreciation
Both brands most strongly deviate from standard vehicle depreciation in the U.S., which according to auto data specialist Edmunds works like this: new cars lose 11% of their value upon purchase, depreciate by 15-25% every year during the first five years of ownership and are worth 37% of the original price after that period. 

There are two main reasons why used Teslas are so expensive: the brand is relatively new (°2012), and the supply is relatively small. The rest of the Top 10 is made up of luxury brands the models of which, if kept in good condition, retain much of their original value. 

Top 10 used car brands (U.S.)

  1. Tesla: $64,988 (€55,575)
  2. Porsche: $45,615 (€39,000)
  3. Land Rover: $38,882 (€33,250)
  4. Genesis: $35,915 (€30,710)
  5. Jaguar: $33,745 (€28,860)
  6. GMC: $27,493 (€23,510)
  7. Cadillac: $27,256 (€23,310)
  8. Mercedes-Benz: $27,078 (€23,155)
  9. Audi: $26,991 (€23,080)
  10. Lexus: $25,979 (€22,215)

Surprising entry

Perhaps the most surprising entry in the Top 10 is Genesis, the luxury sedan brand owned by Hyundai. 

While Smart leads the Top 10 of cheapest used-car brands in the U.S. (not unsurprisingly, as a new one can be had for as little as $12,000, i.e. €10,255), the rest of the list reads like a brand graveyard: GM brands Pontiac and Saturn was discontinued in 2008 and 2009, respectively; Ford's Mercury gave up the ghost in 2010, and Toyota shut down Scion in 2016.

The biggest surprise in this list is Volkswagen – its appearance no doubt a consequence of the Dieselgate scandal. 

Bottom 10 used car brands (U.S.)    

  1. Smart: $8,350 (€7,140)            
  2. Saturn: $9,172 (€7,845)
  3. Mercury: $11,134 (€9,520)
  4. Pontiac: $13,048 (€11,160)
  5. Scion: $13,764 (€11,770)
  6. Fiat: $13,886 (€11,875)
  7. Mitsubishi: $14,663 (€12,540)
  8. Volkswagen: $15,099 (€12,915)
  9. Hyundai: $15,429 (€13,195)
  10. Kia: $15,851 (€13,555)
Authored by: Frank Jacobs