Toyota: The Best Brand for Car Resale Value

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Here’s another win for Toyota. The seemingly recall-riddled manufacturer was recognized as the best brand for resale value in 2012 by Kelley Blue Book. 

Its high-end Lexus line was also named the best luxury brand for resale value in the vehicle valuation source’s annual list.
The awards recognize vehicles expected to maintain the greatest proportion of their original Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price after five years of ownership. Kelley Blue Book excludes low-volume vehicles and vehicles with a MSRP of more than $60,000, except in the luxury and high-performance categories.

While Toyota has been plagued recently by a string of recalls, the recognition isn’t entirely unsurprising. Earlier this week, an analysis from CarMD found the brand’s vehicles are the least likely to break down and warrant check-engine related repairs.

According to Kelley Blue Book, an average vehicle will only retain about 35.5% of its original value after a five-year ownership period, meaning that a $50,000 new car today will only be worth somewhere close to $17,750 after five years. But many manufacturers have made improvements that help their vehicles retain their value.

“All of the car manufacturers have raised the bar over the last few years with their content and design,” Eric Ibara, director of residual consulting for Kelley Blue Book, said in a press release  “Vehicles today are holding their value very well, especially trucks and many of the redesigned cars out today, including the Hyundai Elantra, up 11 points and the Focus, up six points.”

The cars with the highest resale value in their specific category include:

• Subcompact car: Honda Fit
• Compact car: Honda Civic
• Mid-size car: Toyota Camry
• Full-size car: Nissan Maxima
• Near-luxury car: Lexus IS
• Luxury car: Audi A5
• Sports car: Chevrolet Camaro V-6
• High-performance car: Chevrolet Camaro SS
• Hybrid car: Honda Civic Hybrid
• Electric Car: Chevrolet Volt
• Compact SUV: Jeep Wrangler
• Mid-size SUV: Toyota FJ Cruiser
• Full-size SUV: Audi Q7
• Hybrid SUV: Lexus RX 450h
• Van: Honda Odyssey
• Wagon: Subaru Outbreak

You can visit Kelley Blue Book’s website for more information on each vehicle. You can also find a full list of the easiest cars to repair in this MainStreet round up!

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