# Car Devaluation



## KBIreland (16 Apr 2020)

Can you recommend a reputable resource that has ranked cars by the absolute amount of money they lose in value in the first 3 years (rather than percentage depreciation)?


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## Leo (17 Apr 2020)

There is no such absolute measure. Depreciation varies by make, model, specification, mileage, condition, colour, etc.. There's no reliable register of second hand car sales to source the actual numbers from.


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## KBIreland (17 Apr 2020)

I seen an article citing an unnamed report that was ranking cars by percentage depreciation based on asking prices on done deal. Obviously there are a lot of factors that go into the second hand value of a 3 year old car so a rough guide is the best that can be hoped for. The report concluded that the Skoda Octavia had the smallest percentage depreciation however Skoda ranked 11th by brand for depreciation so the numbers are fairly rough.

As a general idea the Golf seems to hold its value at the entry level version quite well.


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## Leo (17 Apr 2020)

KBIreland said:


> I seen an article citing an unnamed report that was ranking cars by percentage depreciation based on asking prices on done deal.



That'll give you a decent guide, but many will end up paying less than the full asking price. I presume it's still around, but trade used to have a 'Blue Book' that gave them a guide to second hand prices for common models / spec.


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## jpd (17 Apr 2020)

Donedeal and other online sites will give an idea of the price of a used car - depreciation isn't an exact science so the ball park figure you will get from that is as good a guide as you need


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## Laughahalla (18 Apr 2020)

I don't know of any. If I buy a car I generally put a rule of thumb value on it. 
E.g. 3 year old car in good condition and low mileage would depreciate about 60% from new. I wouldn't pay any more than that.


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## DingDing (16 May 2020)

You can generally say that for every 3 years the car devalues by 50%

Say New = 50,000
3Years = 25,000
6Years = 12,500
9 Years = 6,250

Not exact as factors, particularly road tax come into play however as a rough guide it should help.


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## Ravima (19 May 2020)

Company accounts usually depreciate cars 20% pa, so DINDING's figures are close to the mark.


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