Which SUV has the best resale value?

The world is smitten with sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Smaller SUVs or crossovers, such as the Hyundai Creta, Mazda CX-3, Ford EcoSport and Renault Captur, are proving that you don’t need to sacrifice luxury or style when “buying down”. But which of these stylish SUVs boasts the best resale value?

The answer, according to Darryl Jacobson, MD of True Price, is the Creta. “In my view, this vehicle ticks all the boxes. When it comes under the hammer, there are always lots of bidders. Dealers, especially, are happy to pay top dollar, because they know that they will sell it very easily,” he explains.

The True Price team attends hundreds of bank repossession auctions each year to gather data pertaining to prices paid on auction. This data is used to provide South African motorists with free vehicle evaluations. The data can also be used to provide highly accurate resale values, as Jacobson explains.

“Using the data gathered on bank repossession auctions, we are able to generate a statistically valid resale figure. It is expressed as a percentage of the original retail sales price.”

Using this methodology, the Korean emerged triumphant, achieving 78.95% and beating the other three contenders, two of them by a fair margin.

“The Creta is most deserving of its top spot. This stylish and compact SUV is always a firm favourite among both private and trade buyers at auctions. It always attracts a great deal of attention and, as the figures show, achieves very good resale values. It’s a good-looking vehicle that is also comfortable and luxurious. The interior is decidedly premium, the boot is large and legroom is surprisingly good, even at the back,” notes Jacobson.

The Mazda CX-3 came second, with a resale value of 77.61%.

“Mazda’s baby SUV is great fun to drive, it is extremely well built, its running costs are low and it’s well equipped. It also offers a quiet and refined ride,” says Jacobson.

In third place was the Ford EcoSport, with a resale value of 71.15%. “Compact, good-looking and well-priced, the Ford EcoSport is much loved by both new and used car buyers in SA, who appreciate its appealing price tag. Furthermore, this little SUV boasts agile handling, with minimal body roll, and its infotainment system is easy to use,” says Jacobson.

The French contender, the Renault Captur, clocked in fourth, with a resale value of 69.82%. “This is an extremely good-looking vehicle. In fact, it’s the real beauty queen of the bunch. It’s also reliable and safe. But for some reason, it does not attract bidding power,” concludes Jacobson.

* The data pertains to vehicles that have done a maximum of 80,000 km. They were registered in 2017 to 2019 (both years inclusive).

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