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Car depreciation is something you may not think about until it’s time to refinance, sell, or trade in your vehicle. Even once you consider the concept, it can be confusing. What is vehicle depreciation and how does it impact you, as the owner of the car? Do all cars depreciate in the same way?Car depreciation is the amount of value a vehicle loses due to age, mileage, and other factors. Below we describe how car depreciation works and provide concrete examples of how it happens.
What Is Car Depreciation?
Think about buying a vehicle, whether new or used. You select a car, sign the paperwork, and get the keys. Excited about the purchase, you drive out of the dealer’s parking lot, eager to show the vehicle to friends and family members.It is exactly at that moment, though, that vehicle depreciation kicks in. Simply put, depreciation is the steady loss in the value of your car, and it can continue throughout the entire time you own it.This naturally raises questions, including why this happens, how much a car depreciates annually, and what cars depreciate the quickest and the slowest. Given that cars depreciate, how much is yours currently worth? What impact will that have if you’re interested in selling the car or refinancing the vehicle?Let’s dig in to answer those questions about depreciation and more. Recommended: Car Loan Terms Explained
Calculating Depreciation on a Car
How to calculate depreciation on a car is relatively simple. The depreciation formula car value equation takes the car’s original sales price and compares it with the current appraised value of the vehicle. The below table highlights how this may work in practice:
Car
Original sales price
Current appraised value
Depreciation amount
2015 BMW 7 Series
$95,000
$22,000
$73,000 or 76.8%
2015 Jeep Wrangler
$36,000
$28,000
$8,000 or 22.2%
2015 Ford Mustang
$35,000
$25,000
$10,000 or 28.57%
It’s also worth pointing out that cars on some occasions may appreciate in value, especially during times of high demand and global supply chain bottlenecks. If the current value of a vehicle is greater than the vehicle’s original sales price, that means the vehicle appreciated in value. Keeping your vehicle in excellent condition and enhancing its features — such as upgrading the tires — may promote an increasing car value.Recommended: Tips for Selling a Car
Why Do Cars Depreciate in Value?
The concept of automobile depreciation is connected to the vehicle’s resale value.Think of it this way. If you bought a brand new car on the first of the month and tried to sell it back on the 15th of the same month, you likely wouldn’t get the same amount of money that you originally paid for the vehicle. Why? Because you bought a new car and would be selling back a used one. The car’s resale value is less than its original sale value. That’s depreciation.Secondhand cars are also subject to depreciation, although at a lesser rate.But when you’re focusing specifically on new cars, there’s another reason that they depreciate. Models come out annually, typically with new features and technologies. That means that last year’s model quickly becomes outdated.Furthermore, for both new and used cars, as more time goes by, more wear and tear occurs, more miles are put on the vehicle, and more maintenance and repairs are needed. All of that leads to even more depreciation.Recommended: Electric Car Costs: Everything to Know
How Much Does a Car Depreciate Each Year?
Looking specifically at new car depreciation rates, a study by iSeeCars notes that not all of them depreciate on the same timeline. Sports cars, to take just one example, tend to depreciate more slowly than high-maintenance luxury sedans.That said, iSeeCars found that the average five-year-old vehicle depreciated by 38.8% in 2023, compared with 50% over five years before the pandemic. This makes depreciation the single greatest “cost” of owning a vehicle.To break it down a little more, a brand new car typically loses between 9% to 11% of its value as soon as it’s driven off the lot. After a year, about 20% of its value is lost to depreciation. There are, of course, vehicles that depreciate less than the average amount, and an iSeeCars executive analyst advises that, if someone plans to sell a car within the first five years of ownership, then picking one that maintains its value (i.e., depreciates less) is a smart financial strategy. It’s also possible that a vehicle may appreciate in value, which occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic when global supply chain bottlenecks gave some used cars greater resale value.
Cars With the Highest and Lowest Rates of Depreciation
When it comes to the lowest rates of depreciation, Kelley Blue Book — a vehicle valuation and research company — has listed these five vehicles as the 2024 Best Resale Value Cars:
Honda Civic: Best Compact Car
Honda Accord: Best Midsize Car
Chevrolet Corvette: Best Sports Car
Lexus IS: Best Luxury Compact Car
Lexus LS: Best Luxury Full-Size Car
The iSeeCars study lists the following as vehicles with the lowest depreciation:
Porsche 911 (coupe)
Porsche 718 Cayman
Toyota Tacoma
Jeep Wrangler
Honda Civic
The cars with the greatest vehicle depreciation in 2023, according to iSeeCars, are as follows:
Having an asset lose value can impact your net worth. Owning a vehicle is owning an asset, and having one of your assets lose value is not beneficial to your personal net worth. Car depreciation impacts you by reducing the value of your motor vehicle. Car depreciation diminishes the resale value of your vehicle, which lowers the amount of money you may earn from selling your used vehicle. Car depreciation can also lower the amount of money you may borrow from a title loan lender.
What’s Your Car Worth?
Online car valuation resources that take depreciation value of cars into account while estimating what a car is worth include:
Kelley Blue Book
Edmunds.com
Carfax.com
Consumer Reports
JD Power
When Do You Need to Know About Depreciation?
There are a number of scenarios in which depreciation plays a factor:
When You Want to Trade In a Car
When you’re planning to trade in a car to help finance another vehicle, the dealership will make an offer that takes into account your trade-in’s depreciation. Not every dealership will make the same offer, though, so it can help to compare a few offers.Recommended: Should You Pay Off Your Car Before Trading It In?
When You Want to Refinance an Auto Loan
A vehicle’s value also comes into play when you’re refinancing an auto loan. Lenders will look at the loan to value (LTV) ratio associated with your vehicle when they review the refinance application. LTV is the total dollar value of the loan (in this case, the refinance loan) divided by the vehicle’s actual cash value.If, for example, someone wants to refinance a vehicle with a loan amount of $8,000 and it’s worth $10,000, then that vehicle has an 80% LTV. If a financial institution would loan up to 80% on a car refinance, then this vehicle and loan would fall within those parameters. If the loan amount was $9,000, however, that would be an LTV of 90%, which doesn’t fit within what our theoretical financial institution would refinance. Also pay attention to the car loan interest rates being offered on refinances, as well as the annual percentage rates (APRs). Other issues to compare include loan repayment terms, loan fees such as origination fees and any prepayment penalties, and any closing costs.Recommended: Can You Refinance a Car Loan With Bad Credit?
Is it Possible to Reduce Car Depreciation?
Yes, it’s possible to reduce car depreciation by maintaining your vehicle in excellent condition. Driving less may also reduce the rate of depreciation by minimizing the mileage clocked on your odometer. Keeping your vehicle clean and well-maintained can reduce car depreciation, whereas poor maintenance can bolster the rate of depreciation.
The Takeaway
Cars depreciate from the moment they’re driven off the dealer’s lot. But depreciation occurs more quickly with some vehicles than others. For example, new car depreciation takes place more quickly than depreciation on used ones, and luxury sedans lose value more quickly than sports cars.There are easy ways to get a general value of your vehicle that takes car depreciation rates into account. This becomes important when you’re selling or refinancing the vehicle.If you’re thinking about a refinance, consider auto refinancing with Lantern by SoFi. Just fill out one short application and explore your refi options.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age does a vehicle depreciate the most?
Should I sell my car before it depreciates?
Do some cars depreciate faster than others?
Photo credit: iStock/FotografiaBasica
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About the Author
Kelly Boyer Sagert
Kelly Boyer Sagert is an Emmy Award-nominated writer with decades of professional writing experience. As she was getting her writing career off the ground, she spent several years working at a savings and loan institution, working in the following departments: savings, loans, IRAs, and auditing. She has published thousands of pieces online and in print.
