From Mini to Chrysler – Glass’s guide to manufacturer RVs

MINI has the best residual value performance in the UK, while Chrysler is the worst-performing manufacturer, according to a recent study by Glass’s.

Glass’s has taken a look at the UK automotive landscape and provided a top-34 ranking of manufacturer performance by residual value – with Mini, Land Rover and Toyota taking the top three spots respectively.

The company analysed each model at four milestone ages – one, three, five and seven years.

Mini, operating within a classically high-RV performing sector, was helped to the top of the rankings by its desirable image. Strong brand perception, increasing refinement of luxury off-road vehicles and ever-improving fuel efficiency saw Land Rover grab second place.

At the bottom of the heap are Chevrolet and Chrysler in 33rd and 34th positions – with poor performance blamed on the way these brands are perceived by consumers.

Andrew Jackson, head of analytics at Glass’s, said: ‘Residual value is the cornerstone of the industry.

Overall performance

‘It considers the universal facets of a vehicle, positive and negative, and distils them in to one figure. And it is this figure that people use to measure the overall performance of a car over time.’

But what makes a good RV? It’s a balancing act of many factors that all manufacturers aspire to perfect. But the one thing that drives residuals the most is desirability – by segment, from perceived build quality to driving dynamics and everything in between – and it is this desirability that saw Mini, Land Rover and Toyota fare so well in this league table.

Jackson said: ‘These top three reflect just how diverse the driving forces behind RVs can be. Mini is popular due to being a premium brand offering small, efficient fun cars to drive.

‘Land Rover however is very popular due to the prestige of the brand coupled with the nascent nature of the off-road segment.

‘Meanwhile Toyota manufactures the majority of its vehicles in the B, C and 4×4 segments and targets the rational buyers’ market as opposed to the premium.

‘Likewise, the bottom of the list reflects the difficulty a brand can have when either being built to a budget or suffering from a lack of public credibility.

‘Perception is reality,’ said Andrew. ‘If people believe a car is desirable, it will be perceived as being so, it will build a good reputation and hold a strong residual value.’

Manufacturer performance by residual value

The percentage figure represents the average depreciation rate

1. Mini -16.4%
2. Land Rover -17.0%
3. Toyota -17.5%
4. Honda -17.9%
5. Volkswagen -18.3%
6. Smart -18.6%
7. Jeep -18.8%
8. Audi -19.5%
9. Seat -19.6%
10. Skoda -20.3%
11. Nissan -20.3%
12. Mercedes-Benz -20.6%
13. Kia -20.8%
14. Suzuki -21.0%
15. Mitsubishi -21.3%
16. BMW -21.5%
17. Mazda -21.5%
18. Ford -21.8%
19. Lexus -22.1%
20. Subaru -22.3%
21. Fiat -22.3%
22. Volvo -22.4%
23. Citroen -22.5%
24. Hyundai -23.2%
25. Jaguar -23.2%
26. Peugeot -23.2%
27. Vauxhall -23.5%
28. SsangYong -23.5%
29. Perodua -24.6%
30. Renault -24.7%
31. Alfa Romeo -24.8%
32. Proton -26.1%
33. Chevrolet -26.3%
34. Chrysler -26.6%