Every car loses value from the day you buy it, and that loss is money you won't get back when you sell. So how much will your next used car lose, and which age, mileage and brand keep that loss smallest? We looked at the prices UK dealers are asking right now to find out.
How we measured how fast used cars lose value
We compared the asking prices of 41,298 used cars for sale in the UK, so the figures reflect what you'd see if you went shopping today. Our research only ever compares like with like. Each car is measured against others of the same model and specification (same fuel, gearbox, body style and engine size), so a pricier trim or a bigger engine can't skew the result. That’s why you can use these figures as a fair benchmark for the car on your shortlist, too.
- Cars: up to 10 years old, across 485 models.
- Prices: up to £42,000, so the youngest and priciest premium cars are thin on the ground.
- Checks: we split the data into two random halves and re-measured every headline figure on each, and both halves gave the same answer.
How much value a used car loses each year
A used car loses about 10% of its value for every year it ages, based on our comparison of cars of the same model and specification. Both random halves of our data gave almost exactly the same answer, so you can treat it as a reliable rule of thumb when you size up any car.
Age itself does most of the damage. At identical mileage, one extra year still costs 7.3% of a car's value. That's about three-quarters of the yearly loss, and the rest comes from the miles a typical car adds over the year.
That’s because a car ages even when it sits on the drive. Newer models and facelifts make it look dated, and the manufacturer warranty on many cars ends around year 3.
What does that mean for a real car? Take one worth £20,000 at 1 year old:
| Age | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 year | £20,000 |
| 2 years | £17,725 |
| 3 years | £15,863 |
| 5 years | £13,381 |
| 7 years | £10,766 |
| 10 years | £7,482 |
By its 10th birthday, the car is worth 37% of what it was at 1 year old (a little over a third).
The yearly percentage stays fairly steady, at between 7.1% and 11.9%. But the amount you actually lose shrinks as the car ages, because each year's percentage comes off a smaller price. The second year costs £2,275. By the tenth, it's down to about £970.
The gentlest stretch comes as a car turns 4, 5 and 6, when it loses 7% to 9% a year. From the year it turns 7, the pace picks up again, to 11% or 12%.
How much mileage knocks off a used car's value
Every 10,000 miles takes 4.7% off the price. Value by mileage for the same model, specification and age (blue) and ignoring age (grey); under 10,000 miles = 100.
Mileage takes about 4.7% off a used car's value for every 10,000 miles, compared with a car of the same model and age. On a typical car priced at £15,298, that's about £73 for every 1,000 miles. So when two similar cars on your shortlist have different mileages, you can check whether the price gap between them is fair.
Age and mileage together take 8.3% per 10,000 miles. That's because higher-mileage cars also tend to be older, so the two losses stack up.
The first miles barely count, and the cost grows faster the further up the clock you go:
| Mileage | Value lost vs a car with under 10,000 miles (same age) |
|---|---|
| 10,000–20,000 | −2.6% |
| 20,000–30,000 | −5.9% |
| 50,000–60,000 | −18.5% |
| 100,000–120,000 | −40.1% |
Is a high-mileage car a bad buy? Not if it's priced fairly. Cars driven more than 14,000 miles a year sell for 20.3% less, which is exactly what their extra miles predict. That means you're paying a fair price for the miles, so a high-mileage car is neither a hidden bargain nor a trap.
Low-mileage cars are slightly underpriced, though. Cars driven under 4,000 miles a year cost 7.8% more, while their lower mileage is worth 10.1%. If you find one, you're getting a little more car than you pay for.
The typical car covers 6,400 miles a year, so most of the cars on your shortlist will sit close to that pace.
Electric cars barely notice mileage, losing just 2.2% per 10,000 miles. That's less than half the average, so big miles on an electric car cost you less than on the typical used car.
Which car brands lose the most value from high mileage
Ford loses the most value from high mileage of the top 20 brands, at 5.8% per 10,000 miles, while MG loses the least. That matters if you drive a lot, because the badge you pick changes how much each mile costs you when it's time to sell.
| Brand | Value lost per 10,000 miles (same age) |
|---|---|
| Ford | −5.8% |
| Mazda | −5.6% |
| MINI | −5.5% |
| Volvo | −5.1% |
| Renault | −5.1% |
| Average | −4.7% |
| Mercedes-Benz | −4.3% |
| Audi | −4.2% |
| Peugeot | −4.1% |
| Toyota | −4.0% |
| MG | −3.4% |
For MG, Peugeot, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the gap from the average is too big to be chance. The rest of the top 20 sit in line with it.
The pricier the car, the more each mile costs you, because the same percentage comes off a bigger price. A Volvo loses £1,406 for every 10,000 miles at its typical price. An MG loses £476, about a third as much.
| Brand | Cost of 10,000 miles at a typical price |
|---|---|
| Volvo | £1,406 |
| Land Rover | £1,002 |
| BMW | £971 |
| Peugeot | £570 |
| Citroen | £533 |
| MG | £476 |
Some brands also get driven far more than others, which tells you what normal mileage looks like for each badge:
| Brand | Typical miles a year |
|---|---|
| Volvo | 7,546 |
| Land Rover | 7,370 |
| BMW | 7,333 |
| SEAT | 7,177 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 7,059 |
| Vauxhall | 5,747 |
| MINI | 5,661 |
| Hyundai | 5,603 |
| Toyota | 5,297 |
That's why a low-mileage Toyota is easy to find, while a low-mileage BMW takes more hunting.
The best age to buy a used car to lose the least value
The best age to buy a used car is 3 years old, because a car bought then loses the least value over the next 3 years. It sheds 23.0% of its price in that time. On a car worth £20,000 at 1 year old, that's £1,215 a year.
Here's how every buying age compares over 3 years of ownership, using that same car:
| Age when you buy | Share of price lost over 3 years | Value lost a year |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 26.7% | £1,929 |
| 1 year | 26.4% | £1,757 |
| 2 years | 24.5% | £1,448 |
| 3 years | 23.0% | £1,215 |
| 4 years | 26.9% | £1,321 |
| 5 years | 28.6% | £1,275 |
| 6 years | 30.8% | £1,255 |
| 7 years | 30.5% | £1,095 |
Why three? It’s the age when lots of cars come back at the end of a finance deal or lease, so they’ve already taken the steep early drop. You’d then own the car as it turns 4, 5 and 6, the flattest part of its value curve.If you'd rather have a newer car, 2 years old is the next best pick, losing 24.5% over the same stretch.
Buying at 7 costs the least each year, at £1,095. That said, it’s 30.5% of a smaller price. You’d also finish up with a 10-year-old car that has about 64,000 miles on the clock at the typical rate.
Each model has its own value curve, though, so the best age for the car you're eyeing can come earlier or later than 3.
Which car brands hold their value best
SEAT holds its value best of the top 20 brands, losing 7.5% a year, while Land Rover loses value fastest. Picking a brand from the top of this table is one of the simplest ways to cut what you'll lose when you sell.
| Brand | Value lost a year | Lost a year at a typical price | Value left at 10 years (1 year old = 100%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT | 7.5% | £1,026 | 46% |
| Toyota | 8.0% | £1,272 | 44% |
| Mazda | 8.2% | £1,303 | 44% |
| Volkswagen | 8.8% | £1,498 | 40% |
| MINI | 9.2% | £1,320 | 41% |
| Skoda | 9.2% | £1,571 | 41% |
| BMW | 11.6% | £2,426 | 33% |
| Land Rover | 12.7% | £2,797 | 29% |
The other 14 brands sit close to the 10.0% average, between 9.2% (MINI, Skoda, Renault, Volvo and Nissan) and 10.7% (Peugeot).
Premium cars do cover more miles, but that isn't what drives the gap. At equal mileage, Land Rover still loses 9.7% a year and BMW 8.6%. SEAT, Mazda and Toyota stay at the bottom, losing between 4.8% and 5.6%.
A brand with an average rate can still cost you plenty on a pricier car. Volvo loses an average share of its value, which comes to £2,553 a year at its typical price. Mercedes-Benz is similar, at £2,032 a year.
There's one caveat for premium brands. Our listings stop at £42,000, so the youngest and priciest Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo and Land Rover cars are thin on the ground in our data. Their real loss in the first years is probably bigger than shown here.
Young car with high miles or old car with low miles: which costs more?
An older car with low miles costs more than a young car with high miles, once you weigh what each one gives you for the money. Dealers often price them the same, but the young car is several years newer, and those years are worth more than the extra miles it has done.
What does the same money buy? Same model, fuel and gearbox at the same price: a 2 to 3-year-old car doing over 15,000 miles a year, or a 7 to 8-year-old doing under 4,000.
At the same price, you really can choose between the two. We found 772 pairs of the same model, fuel and gearbox at almost identical prices, each with one young high-mileage car and one older low-mileage car. Typically, about £12,500 buys either a 3-year-old car with 57,000 miles or a 7-year-old with 24,000.
| Model | Typical price | Young, high miles | Older, low miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vauxhall Corsa | £10,180 | 3 years, 58,000 miles | 7 years, 18,000 miles |
| Ford Fiesta | £11,000 | 3 years, 59,000 miles | 7 years, 23,000 miles |
| Nissan Juke | £12,000 | 3 years, 55,000 miles | 7 years, 24,000 miles |
| VW Polo | £12,800 | 2 years, 54,000 miles | 8 years, 25,000 miles |
| VW Golf | £16,800 | 2 years, 54,000 miles | 8 years, 24,000 miles |
| Mercedes A-Class | £18,080 | 3 years, 57,000 miles | 7 years, 24,000 miles |
On age and mileage alone, that 3-year-old should cost about 15% more than the 7-year-old. Each extra year takes 7.3% off a car’s value, while each extra 10,000 miles takes 4.7%. So the 4 years between them outweigh the 33,000 miles, yet dealers still price the two cars the same. This means you’re paying a premium for the older car’s low mileage.
How does unusual mileage change the price? Same model, age and specification, against a car doing a typical 4,000 to 9,000 miles a year, by age of car.
That premium grows as a car gets older. Here’s how unusual mileage changes the price of a £15,000 car, compared with the same model at the same age doing typical mileage:
| Age | Under 4,000 miles a year | 9,000–14,000 miles a year | Over 14,000 miles a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 years | +5% (+£720) | −6% (−£970) | −15% (−£2,260) |
| 4–6 years | +7% (+£1,080) | −11% (−£1,690) | −24% (−£3,570) |
| 7–10 years | +16% (+£2,390) | −17% (−£2,520) | Too few cars |
The gap widens because the difference in miles builds up every year. That’s why a 7 to 10-year-old car doing under 4,000 miles a year costs 16% more than one doing typical miles. On a 1 to 3-year-old car, the premium is just 5%.
These cars aren’t rare. About 16% of 7 to 10-year-old cars for sale do under 4,000 miles a year. At the other end, 7% of 1 to 3-year-old cars do over 14,000.
The older car is likely to cost more to own, too. A car loses value faster from about its 7th year, and its low-mileage premium will probably shrink as you add your own miles.
That’s why the young high-mileage car is our pick for most buyers, as long as its service history is full. An older low-mileage car is worth the extra only if its MOT history, which records the mileage at every test, confirms the low figure is genuine.
Which used car to buy if you want to lose the least value
If losing as little value as possible is your priority, a 3-year-old SEAT, Toyota or Mazda is our pick for most buyers. Those three brands lose the smallest share of their value each year, and buying at 3 means you own the car through its slowest-falling years.
Your choice of model can shift that timing. Need an SUV like the Qashqai, Tucson or Kuga? Wait for an example that's 4 or older, after the steep early drop. Want a small hatchback like the Polo, Fiesta or Ibiza? A younger one holds on well, as long as you move it on before year 7.
High mileage shouldn’t put you off a car on its own, because dealers price the miles almost exactly. If you drive a lot, though, an MG loses the least value per mile of the top 20 brands.
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