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Exclusive: Top 20 biggest depreciating used cars of the last year revealed – and two Mercedes top the list

Time 7:58 am, March 24, 2021

Mercedes fills the top two spots of the Top 20 list of biggest depreciating used cars last year, according to new retail pricing data from Auto Trader.

The search giants have compiled the list of the cars that fell the most in value last year when compared to 2019, exclusively for Car Dealer.

The Mercedes GLA was the biggest faller, dropping 13.1 per cent from an average price of £25,551 in 2019 to £22,206 in 2020.


Auto Trader data shows the second biggest depreciator was the Mercedes C Class which dropped 13 per cent.

Luxury car brands make up the majority of those in the list – which you can see below – with BMW, Porsche, Range Rover and Jaguar models all featuring in the Top 20.

Overall used car prices rose last year as a combination of increased demand – thanks to many people wanting to avoid public transport – and short supply pushed prices up.


However there were some casualties, as the list from Auto Trader reveals.

Richard Walker, data & insight director, for the firm said: ‘Since very early on in the pandemic, retailers have largely held firm with their pricing strategies, and resisted the urge to slash prices to entice consumers onto their digital or, when permitted, physical forecourts. 

‘With such high demand in the market, there’s simply been no reason to do so.

‘Coupled with varying supply constraints, these factors meant that by the close of 2020, we’d tracked nine months of consecutive price growth for used cars across the market. 

‘This included consistent growth in every body type, age group and, with the exception of AFVs, every fuel type. 

‘However, at a more granular level we did see notable drops in average retail prices for some models and derivatives last year.’

Walker said that as dealerships reopen on April 12 and consumer pent up demand is realised, prices are likely to remain strong.

He added: ‘With levels of consumer demand accelerating significantly since January, and now at record levels, we’ll watch with interest as to whether these models are able to reverse their negative trajectory.’

The full list is available to members of the Car Dealer website. You can get immediate access to the full list, which includes the car’s ages and the percentage falls, by signing up to the Car Dealer website with your name and email address now.


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James Baggott's avatar

James is the founder and editor-in-chief of Car Dealer Magazine, and CEO of parent company Baize Group. James has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years writing about cars and the car industry.



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