Nearly new: The one-year old cars that you can’t afford not to buy
- •
- 115 reads
- •
- 524 views
- •
- 11 min read
New cars are great, not much beats the feeling of driving off the showroom floor for the first time. But the price to pay for this luxury is a big one, yes, the purchase price is high, pushed even higher for any additional equipment you may specify, but it is the unseen depreciation that will cost you the most come resale time.
Most buyers don’t consider this aspect of new car ownership and depending on the make and model, a car can lose between 10% to 35% of its value in the first year. That is a big chunk of change, most cars are worth only about half of their original purchase price by the time they are 3-years-old.
If you still hanker after that new car smell but don’t want to pay the steep costs associated with it, a nearly new 1-year-old model may be a far savvier purchase.
Our list covers a wide range of prices and models to highlight the savings that can be had from budget hatchbacks right up to luxurious saloons.
Sales figures and market share
The negative press for diesel powered cars over the past year saw a decline in sales of 17.1% compared to the 2016 figures.
Petrol powered car sales actually rose by 2.7% over the same period although the overall new car sales numbers fell by 5.7%.
Economic uncertainty can also contribute to depressed sales but the actual sales numbers are still very high and at 2.5-million cars sold, remain the second highest in a decade.
Remember that our new car price values are rounded off to the nearest £500 and do not include any extras.
Used car generally have a few options fitted so the savings you see below may be even better than they seem.
Volkswagen Golf
This perennial favourite has been among the top sellers in the UK for years, the diesel scandal may still be fresh on most people’s minds but that hasn’t stopped the Golf selling in huge numbers.
A facelift was carried out during the course of the year so make sure you get the newer model.
New: A Golf 1.4 TSI starts at £20,000
1-year-old: £13,500
Saving: 32%
Ford Focus
The Focus is sporty and modern, the perfect family hatchback.
The small turbocharged 1.0-litre model is fuel-efficient and offers enough power for the daily commute.
New: The 1.0T EcoBoost starts at £18,000
1-year-old: £12,500
Saving: 30%
Audi A3
This classy hatchback offers a little bit more interior luxury compared to the similar Golf and there are also some more powerful engines to choose from higher up the range.
New: 1.4 TFSI from £21,500
1-year-old: £16,500
Saving: 23%
BMW 3-Series
The 3-Series is a very popular luxury saloon and the huge sales figures year after year mean that there are plenty used cars for sale and prices are very attractive.
You have a large range of engine choices but even the base models are peppy enough for most.
New: Base 320i starts at £30,000
1-year-old: £20,000
Saving: 33%
Mercedes E-Class
The latest generation E-Class may be accused of looking a bit too much like the S-Class and indeed the smaller C-Class, but it is a class-leading executive saloon and offers some of the very latest safety and technology systems in this segment.
New: E220 d SE from £36,000
1-year-old: £26,500
Saving: 27%
Nissan Qashqai
The Qashqai is one of the most popular crossover/SUVS in the UK and the range of frugal engines and decent specifications make for a great new buy.
But a 1-year-old model is even better value.
New: 1.5 dCI from £21,500
1-year-old: £13,700
Saving: 38%
Volvo XC90
It may not be the most dynamically accomplished SUV in its class but the XC90 offers a beautifully styled interior and a huge raft of active and passive safety systems.
New: The XC90 2.0 T6 Momentum starts at £50,000
1-year-old: £39,000
Saving: 22%
Electrics, Hybrids and Depreciation Disasters
The alternatively fueled vehicle category grew by an impressive 34.8% in 2017 although it is worth bearing in mind that the total market share is still a lowly 4.7%. Hybrids and electric cars also tend to lose their value far quicker than their petrol-powered counterparts. In fact, very few electric cars retain much more than 30% of their value after 3-years, although bear in mind that the government incentive offered on new models can skew these numbers.
Certain unpopular conventionally fueled cars also fit into this category.
Then there are the ultra-luxury cars that cost a bundle new but quickly shed their value in the first few years.
This is all good news for us though and there are some great deals to be had, although don’t forget that the steep depreciation may still continue for a few more years, so it is worth holding on to these cars for a bit longer.
Nissan Leaf
This popular electric car offers a great entry point in to electric car ownership as long as you live in an area that has a decent charging infrastructure.
That said, it can be charged from a home power outlet too and will be perfect for short trips to work and back too.
New: The base leaf model starts at £22,000 including £4,500 Government rebate.
1-year-old: £15,500
Saving: 30%
Toyota Prius
The Prius is the original hybrid and the latest version may look a bit challenging but it remains a superb example of the breed.
Low running costs and plenty of interior space make them ideal for both short and long trips.
New: A standard hybrid version starts at £23,500.
1-year-old: £18,000
Saving: 23%
BMW i3
The i3 has been around for a few years and has proven popular with city commuters, upgrades to the battery capacity and the availability of a range extender version adds to its real-world useability levels too.
New: An i3 with a Range extender costs from £34,000 before Government rebates of £4,500.
1-year-old: £24,500
Saving: 17%
Volkswagen e-Golf
VW have chosen to add electric power to their standard Golf body shell and it provides fuss-free performance with all the usual convenience and luxury features of a standard petrol-powered model.
The 2017 models now boast a range of 186 miles compared to the 124 miles of older versions.
The relative rarity of the e-Golf can make finding used models a bit tricky.
New: The e-Golf starts at £33,000 before government rebates of £4,500
1-year-old: £26,995
Saving: 5% – This figure is based on a nearly new car with delivery mileage.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
This stylish saloon is a real rival to the sporty 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class market leaders but that doesn’t mean that it enjoys the same strong residuals as the Germans.
That sort of thing takes time and Alfa first needs to prove that its cars are reliable over the long run.
New: A 200bhp 2.0T Giulia starts from £29,000
1-year-old: £22,000
Saving: 25%
Lamborghini Huracan
The Performante version currently holds the Nurburgring production car lap record, even the standard version is a fire-spitting 5.2-litre V10 supercar.
This segment is all about having the latest and greatest though so used values suffer as a result.
New: The LP610-4 starts at £181,000
1-year-old: £189,000
Saving: Eagle-eyed readers will have seen that the Huracan seems to be going up in value instead of down.
The truth is that most cars are often specified with tens of thousands of pounds of extra options and new prices tend to be at least £20,000 to £50,000 above the list price.
3-year-old examples trade for 50-60% of their new list price.
Rolls-Royce Ghost
The Ghost may well be one of the finest automobiles on the planet but their owners generally move on to the next fashionable thing after a few years, the market for these luxurious second-hand cars has always been a tough one.
New: 6.6 V12 standard wheelbase from £220,000
1-year-old: £210,000
Saving: 5% – Don’t forget that these cars generally feature tons of additional customisations too which are worth many thousands of pounds, so the savings are closer to 25% when this is taken into account.