10 of the Fastest Depreciating Cars in the UK (2026)

For most car owners, depreciation is maybe the single biggest cost of running a car. What’s even more interesting is that a handful of models get hit far harder than the rest. For reference, some of the fastest depreciating cars in the UK can lose more than 70% of their value within three years.

This guide highlights ten models that have experienced particularly steep depreciation in recent years.

Key Takeaways

• Electric cars feature heavily, driven by rapid technology improvements, manufacturer discounting and changing market conditions.
• French luxury brands like DS lose value faster than almost any other segment.
• Premium petrol and plug-in hybrid saloons depreciate hard once their new-car appeal fades.
• What is a warning for new buyers is often a bargain for used ones.

Note: All pricing and retained value figures are approximate, based on industry data from sources including Cap HPI and SMMT at the time of writing. Actual values vary by specification, mileage, and condition.

Fastest Depreciating Car in the UK at a Glance

1. DS Automobiles

French premium brands like DS have traditionally struggled to retain value in the UK luxury market. The DS3 and DS9 are proof that badge appeal alone cannot rescue residual values. 

Both models sit inside the UK’s top ten fastest depreciators. New buyers pay a premium for the DS badge. Used buyers rarely give it a second thought.

DS3 E-Tense

DS3 E-Tense 54kWh Pallas | ~£39,000 new | ~£11,300 at 3 years | ~29% retained

The DS3 E-Tense is a compact electric crossover with genuine style. High new pricing has always been its weakest point, though. Three years on, buyers can pick one up for around £11,000. 

That is roughly around the price of many entry-level used EVs. As a used buy, the DS3 offers a 250-mile range and refined manners for supermini money. Now, it is a hard sell.

DS9

DS9 1.6 E-Tense Opera | ~£65,000 new | ~£18,700 at 3 years | ~29% retained

The DS9 is a flagship saloon in a segment Britain barely acknowledges. Watching it lose forty thousand pounds in three years is painful if you’re the one who bought it new. 

If you’re the second owner, though, a sub-£20,000 DS9 starts to look genuinely tempting. Comfortable, plush, and blissfully free of the usual German badge tax. 

Give it another ten years and quirky French car obsessives will probably start snapping them up. For now, though, it remains one of the fastest depreciating cars you can buy.

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2. Vauxhall

Two Vauxhalls make the list, and both got there through pricing. The Astra plug-in hybrid asks north of forty thousand. That is a lot of money to attach to a badge most buyers associate with sensible pricing.

The Corsa Electric, meanwhile, lives in a corner of the EV market where discounts arrive weekly, and residuals get squeezed. Neither car is bad. Both were simply priced ahead of what the used market later decides they’re worth.

Vauxhall Astra Plug-in Hybrid

Astra 1.6 PHEV Ultimate | ~£43,000 new | ~£12,500 at 3 years | ~29% retained

The Astra PHEV is a decent car saddled with a punchy price tag. Paying over forty thousand for a Vauxhall family hatch was always going to be a tough ask. 

Used values suggest buyers were reluctant to pay the original list price. As a used buy, however, it is genuinely tempting. A well-built three-year-old car with a smart interior, 43 miles of electric range, and strong economy for well under half its list price.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric

Corsa-e 51kWh 156 GS | ~£33,000 new | ~£10,100 at 3 years | ~31% retained

Set brand image aside for a moment. The reality of the EV market is that it moves quickly, and older models become less competitive as battery technology improves. Cheaper alternatives appear every year, and buyers know it. Three-year-old Corsa-e examples now go for less than a third of what they cost new. 

If the mileage is reasonable, that turns it into a rather appealing first EV or city runabout. Buying one from the showroom, though, is a different story altogether.

3. Fiat

Fiat’s 500 range tells two stories at once. The electric 500e depreciates because of high pricing meeting a discount-heavy EV market. The petrol 500C loses value because Fiat has been building the same basic car for well over a decade. Neither cheapens the driving experience, but both make new ownership a costly proposition.

Fiat 500e

500e 42kWh Giorgio Armani | ~£34,000 new | ~£10,400 at 3 years | ~31% retained

Fiat has always charged a premium for the 500e’s styling. At just over £10,000 used, however, the numbers finally start to make sense. 

The Armani special edition brings genuinely fancy detailing for the money. A range of 200 miles and a peppier 116bhp motor keep it usable. For an urban runaround with real character, the used 500e is a smart buy. New, it is much harder to justify.

Fiat 500C

500C 1.0 70 SS Collezione 1957 | ~£24,000 new | ~£8,000 at 3 years | ~34% retained

Fiat has been rolling out variations of the same 500 shape since 2007, which is nearly two decades of continuous production. That is both its greatest strength and its worst enemy on the depreciation front. 

Second-hand supply is plentiful, and shoppers know full well that if they hold off a week, there’ll be another one going cheaper. Retaining just a third of its value after three years is what happens when a car becomes that ubiquitous. 

Buy one used, though, and you get a small, stylish, cheap-to-run city car with proper Italian charm. That is a rather better proposition than paying new money.

4. Mazda

Mazda tends to do rather well for reliability and driving feel, so its inclusion here is not the usual story. Two of its models still take heavy depreciation hits, though, for very different reasons. 

Mazda MX-30

MX-30 Prime-Line | ~£28,000 new | ~£8,500 at 3 years | ~30% retained

The MX-30 is a nice car with limited practicality for many buyers because of its relatively small battery. Its 35.5kWh battery gives just 124 miles of range, which is far too little for a practical crossover. 

The love-hate rear-hinged doors add further quirks that split buyers. Three years in, an MX-30 costs less than most used superminis. For urban commuting, it works well. For anything else, the compromises begin to bite.

Mazda CX-5

CX-5 | ~£33,000 new | ~£16,000 at 3 years | ~48% retained

The CX-5 is a properly good mid-size SUV that happens to sell in one of the most brutal segments in Britain. Everyone makes a rival, and shoppers know it. Loyalty barely registers in this class, so newer alternatives keep dragging older CX-5s down the pricing ladder. 

Buy one used, and you get Mazda’s usual dependability alongside a comfortable ride, all for money that feels almost too reasonable. Buy one new, and you’ll be watching more than half the value slip away in three years.

5. Nissan

Nissan has two very different depreciation stories on its hands. The Leaf, once the poster child of affordable electric motoring, has been left behind by rivals with more range and quicker charging. 

The Qashqai’s issue is the opposite. Britain simply cannot get enough of it, which is precisely the problem. Used forecourts are stuffed with them, and prices reflect the surplus.

Nissan Leaf

Leaf 39kWh Acenta | ~£29,000 new | ~£7,800 at 3 years | ~27% retained

There was a time in the mid-2010s when spotting an electric car in Britain almost guaranteed you were looking at a Leaf. Not any more. Rivals have overtaken it on nearly every measure that matters, from range to charging speed. 

A three-year-old example now goes for less than eight thousand. It still works for a specific kind of driver, though. If your daily routine is the school run, the shops, and back home, you’ll never need to think about it. 

Nissan has since launched an all-new Leaf. Shaped like an SUV and packing modern tech, it has pushed the older car further into the shade.

Nissan Qashqai

Qashqai | ~£30,000 new | ~£15,000 at 3 years | ~50% retained

The Qashqai has topped Britain’s SUV sales chart on and off for years. Ironic, really, because that is what wrecks its resale. Too many were sold, and now the used market is saturated with them. 

Tidy examples in the right trim and colour still find buyers, but the rest scrap it out on price alone. There is always another one on the next forecourt. It remains a perfectly sensible family SUV to buy second-hand. Just don’t expect to see much of your money back if you buy new.

How to Avoid Buying a Fast-Depreciating Car

There is no way to stop car depreciation entirely. But avoiding the worst offenders is largely a matter of research and restraint.

• Avoid heavily discounted EVs at launch. Manufacturer discounts and ZEV mandate pressure often drive down residuals fast. Spot a new EV that’s already being knocked down in price? The used market will do the rest.
• Be wary of premium plug-in hybrids. They combine a hefty new price with complicated mechanicals, and used buyers know the running costs can bite. That combination hits residuals hard, especially on luxury brands.
• Steer clear of oversupplied models. The UK’s best-selling cars often depreciate hardest simply because used supply is enormous.
• Avoid niche or unfamiliar brands. Small-volume manufacturers and newcomers face weaker used demand, which drags residuals down.
• Skip the top trims. Fully loaded specifications rarely return their premium at resale. Mid-range trims hold value better.
• Check the segment. Executive saloons, luxury SUVs, and premium French cars have long histories of steep depreciation.

For a fuller picture of which cars go the other way, see the companion guide on cars that hold their value best in the UK.

Conclusion: Fastest Depreciating Cars

The fastest depreciating cars in the UK share a few patterns. High new prices, weak brand image in the used market, oversupply, or the double bind of EV pricing pressure. Together, they explain why these models have experienced some of the steepest depreciation in the UK market.

For anyone buying new, the lesson is clear. Research residuals before signing anything, and be wary of shiny discounts that may reflect deeper issues. 

For anyone buying used, though, this list is closer to a shopping guide than a warning. Someone else has already taken the hit. What remains is often a genuinely good car at a much more sensible price.