C5 top of drops report

Which second-hand cars offer the best value on forecourts? Well, when judged by the saving they offer compared to list price, here are the top 10, according to the experts at trade bible Glass’s Guide.

They assessed more than 6,000 three-year-old models to come up with a list of the fastest-depreciating cars – and top of the league is Citroen’s C5. In flagship V6 Exclusive trim, the five-door model is worth only 17.5 per cent of its £22,297 new price after 36 months.

The list of the worst performers includes two petrol off-roaders: the Vauxhall Fron­tera and Isuzu Trooper ranked in seventh and 10th places respectively. Obsolete cars from Rover also fared badly, as did budget offerings from Proton, Hyundai and Kia. At the other end of the table, sports cars dominated the list, with nine of the top 10 marketed as high-performance models. Unsurprisingly, the MINI headed the chart, followed by the Mercedes SLK 200 Kompressor and the VW Golf R32.

Yet while the lowest-depreciating cars are from the go-faster end of the spectrum, the nation’s favourite second-hand models are getting smaller. In 2006, for the first time ever, superminis accounted for the majority of used sales, according to figures from data firm Experian.

A spokesman told us: “These cars are kinder to the environment and cheaper to buy and run, while bigger-engined vehicles tend to lose their value more quickly.”