Depreciation Index: Best and worst small family cars | Peugeot 307 News & FAQs

The recession is likely to hit families on a budget hardest if they have to change their car because the market is so erratic. Families wanting to be frugal will tend to assume they need to buy a mainstream brand such as Vauxhall or ‘discount’ brand such as Citroen.

But infact, looking at the best and worst performers of the last 4 years, there are surprises among the niche, slightly more expensive cars. Saabs and Mazdas for example both make great sense for nearly new buyers wanting to trade after a couple of years.

Whereas anyone buying a nearly new C4 and looking to trade within couple of years may be in for a shock. A 1 year old Citroen C4 (in diesel engine) is performing much worse than the comparable Peugeot – they are at complete opposites of the scale.

Canny buyers looking at 3 and 4 year old cars can also do surprisingly well with some Volvos and BMW which have lost a packet over the previous few months. And the buyers of 4 year old Volkswagen’s Beetles can sell a year later with little or no loss.

So, as ever, it pays to check the depreciation trend of the specific models you like.

Best performers

Worst performers