2010's best and worst depreciators

Kia's Picanto was the car that lost the least money after a year of ownership, according to Parkers depreciation stats for 2010.

The report is based on the average private resale values for 12-month-old cars with 10,000 miles on the clock.

The Kia, which tops the table, lost £1,247 over the course of a year – around £3.42 a day. However, because of the low purchase price, depreciation for the Picanto was around 20% - meaning that sellers will get around 80% of the original purchase price after a year.

Small cars held 36 of the top 50 places because of their low initial purchase price and the increasing demand for efficient, cheap-to-run cars, with strong warranties.

Twelve of the positions in the top 50 were held by 4x4s, up from seven last year. This is probably due to a change in perception due to improvement's in off-roaders' efficiency and the threat of persistent cold winters.

Value brands dominate the top of the leader board, partly a result of cheap purchase prices but also as a result of vastly improved model ranges and extensive warranties, such as Kia's seven-year warranty.

The Picanto, which lost £1,760 in 2009, has climbed to the top with improved depreciation of £1,247.

The Honda Jazz, which was in first place last year, has slipped to 76th position after losing £2,517 in 2010 as opposed to £1,379 in 2009. This is largely due to the model being a year older and with more second-hand examples the over-supply has pushed down values. 

New entries into the top 10 this year include the Skoda Yeti, the Audi Q5 and the Daihatsu Terios - all 4x4s, reflecting the increased level of interest in that sector.

A general trend shown in the results is that average depreciation for the year was slightly higher, at 34%, compared to 2009's 33% average.

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The best performers of 2010 (based on cash lost)

	Make	Model	Cash lost during 2010	% loss
1	Kia	Picanto (04 on)	£1,247	20%
2	Kia	Rio (05 on)	£1,642	22%
3	Daihatsu	Terios (06 on)	£1,818	14%
4	Fiat	500 (08 on)	£1,943	22%
5	Volkswagen	Polo (09 on)	£1,987	22%
6	Mazda	2 (07 on)	£2,022	23%
7	Volvo	XC60 (08 on)	£2,065	8%
8	Perodua	Myvi (06-08)	£2,133	31%
9	Audi	Q5 (08 on)	£2,189	9%
10	Skoda	Yeti (09 on)	£2,213	13%

The biggest losers of 2010 (based on cash lost)

	Make	Model	Cash lost during 2010	% loss
1	Maybach	62 (03 on)	£149,552	43%
2	Maybach	57 (03 on)	£132,098	44%
3	Bentley	Brooklands (08-10)	£84,295	36%
4	Rolls-Royce	Phantom Saloon (03 on)	£82,815	27%
5	Rolls-Royce	Phantom Drophead (07 on)	£78,073	26%
6	Ferrari	612 (04 on)	£72,750	34%
7	Mercedes-Benz	SL-Class AMG (02 on)	£60,698	40%
8	Ferrari	599 GTB Coupe (06 on)	£58,771	28%
9	Bentley	Arnage (98-09)	£57,322	30%
10	Lamborghini	Gallardo (03 on)	£52,054	31%

See the depreciation winners and losers of 2009