Small cars are big winners in 2007

The MINI reclaimed its crown as the UK's slowest depreciating car in 2007, according to latest research from Parker's Car Guides.

In its annual depreciation report, Parker's compared last January's new prices with what an owner can expect if they sell privately now.

It found that buyers lucky enough to get their hands on a MINI this time last year will now have lost an average of just £1388. That works out at just £27 a week - or the cost of a couple of Starbucks coffees every day.

MINI remains one of Britain's most sought-after cars with good reason. It looks good, is great to drive, and is easy to own as it's offered with hassle-free five and eight-year servicing deals.

Impressive fuel-saving technologies fitted on cars from autumn 2007 have transformed it into one of the cleanest and most fuel efficient cars on sale today. 2007 was also the first full year that the new model was on sale. Although it looks very similar to the car that went on sale in 2001, it is in fact significantly different, which has helped re-ignite interest and kept values high.

Dan Pulleyn, Used Car Development Manager, MINI said: "With MINI, there is something for everyone. Unique, premium image is combined with low cost of ownership and a great driving experience. There are endless opportunities to personalise any MINI so buyers are guaranteed to satisfy hearts and minds alike.

"Used car buyers have long recognised the advantages of the MINI TLC servicing packages and the MINI Cherished used car programme offers an extensive range of customer benefits allied to a strong dealer network."

This year's runner-up, the Honda Jazz, is set to be replaced by an all-new model in 2008, but that hasn't stopped values remaining consistently high. Jazz is the only car to have featured in the top five of Parker's annual depreciation report every year since its launch in 2002. Buyers are keen on its exceptionally high build quality, clever use of space inside and perky, efficient engines. The result is that it lost an average of just £2017 during last year.

Small cars are more popular than ever and, for the first time, they make up the entire top 10. 2007 saw buying habits continue to change towards smaller and more efficient cars.

There's now an increased demand for cars that are cleaner and more fuel efficient - to counteract sharp rises in the cost of fuel over the last 12 months and to make savings on road tax.

The Citroën C1/Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107 trio - essentially the same car with different badges - make up three of the top 10 places. All three have strong buyer appeal, with attractive list prices, decent levels of equipment and the lure of 61mpg in everyday driving.

Demand for these three cars is unlikely to diminish during 2008 - especially with the prospect of a CO₂-based London Congestion Charge - these are three of the cleanest cars around.

Other cars taking this year's top spots - such as the Perodua Kelisa, Proton Satria Neo and Hyundai Amica - may not be household names, but are well equipped, cheap to buy and easy to own. But they're not around in great numbers, which means there's sufficient demand to keep the values high.

Kieren Puffett, editor of Parker's said: "This may be the first time that small cars have taken the top 10 places in our depreciation report, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. Demand for small cars has never been stronger. Now that buyers can bring their annual Road Tax bill right down to nothing and with a CO₂-based London Congestion Charge on the cards for next year, we can only see it getting stronger."

The best performers of 2007

The worst performers of 2007