Buy small to save big in 2009

Parker's annual depreciation report shows that the Toyota Aygo was Britain's slowest depreciating car in 2008.

We compared last January's new prices with what an owner could expect to get if they sold privately now. A buyer who got their hands on an Toyota Aygo last year will now have lost just £1515 over 12 months - the equivalent of just £4 per day.

It's the third year running that the economical city car has featured in the top ten. It was top of the pile in 2007 and took eighth position last year, but this is its best performance ever - it lost even less money over the course of 12 months than ever. Its little wonder that it's been so popular: it's cheap to run, fun to drive, can be taxed for just £35 and, as a result, has strong buyer appeal. It's sister cars - the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 - take second and fifth spots. All three are essentially the same car with different badges.

The Fiat 500 makes its appearance in the top 10 - and it's a strong one. The mix of retro-inspired looks and low running costs has made it the right car at the right time. It's been a hit with buyers and made it one of 2008's must-have cars. It even finished ahead of the MINI, which has been a star performer for residual values since 2001.

All the cars in this year's top 10 have one thing in common: they're all small. Increased demand from buyers trading down to smaller, more economical cars has pushed up prices - something that's set to continue as recession bites. The combined loss of the top 10 is around £100 less than it was in 2007.                                          

At the foot of the table the buyers who have lost a small fortune are those that started out with a large one. The Maybach continues to lose eye-watering sums in the first year of ownership, while the owners of most luxury cars need to be prepared to lose a substantial sum in the first year.

The best performers of 2008

The biggest losers of 2008

See the depreciation winners and losers of 2007