7 Sedans That Depreciate the Fastest Over 5 Years

Recently, iSeeCars calculated the various vehicles that maintain their value better than all others; conversely, it also charted the 25 rides that depreciate the most in value, at the fastest rates, across the modern auto market.

From sports cars to sedans, from trucks to SUVs, from hatchbacks to electric vehicles, the last calculates the vehicles that will depreciate the most in the mere seconds after you drive off the lot.

See which vehicles you should avoid if you want to maintain a high resale value.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 67.1%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $65,249

As HotCars has noted, luxury cars in America depreciate in value at an “alarming” level. The primary reason? Often, luxury vehicles depreciate because they fare poorly on the resale market — most used-car buyers tend not to shop for a car based solely on luxury features. As a result, high-end luxury sedans such as the BMW 7 Series tend to plummet in value after initial purchase.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 64.7%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $70,847

Much like the BMW 7 Series, the Maserati Ghibli depreciates quickly as a luxury sedan. Further, as YouTube car expert ExoticCar PlayPlace notes, the Maserati also suffers from a lack of reliability and thus comes with high maintenance and repair costs.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 62.7%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $57,724

HotCars has called the Audi A8 the largest and by far the most opulent Audi on the market, designed to compete with the BMW 7 series as well as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class — meaning that the very same luxuries that make it such a high-end ride are the very things that depreciate its value on the resale market. Additionally, the A8 is loaded with a staggering amount of advanced tech, which HotCars also noted causes glitches and malfunctions as the car ages beyond five years.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 61.7%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $36,208

Investopedia has clocked the BMW 5 series as one of the highest depreciators, for many similar reasons to the other cars on this list — the luxurious amenities found in the BMW 5 simply aren’t as valued by secondhand buyers. Further, luxury vehicles such as the BMW 5 are more often leased, which means the supply of off-lease vehicles when the lease period ends wildly increases.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 60.9%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $35,401

Much like the BMW 5, the Audi A6 is a frequently leased car, meaning that when lease period ends, there’s a large influx of these vehicles into the market, which quickly depletes their value, per iSeeCars. Additionally, Edmunds has noted that the Audi A6 requires significant maintenance after five years of ownership, making it a rather costly investment in the long term.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 60.7%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $71,460

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class depreciates fast for all the same reasons as every other car on this list, per CoPilot for Car Shopping, as well as for its quickly outdated tech. As car technology advances at faster and faster rates, the standard tech in the Benz S-Class has been outpaced rather quickly.

• Average 5-year depreciation: 60.5%
• Loss of value vs. MSRP: $43,535

The final car on this list, the Audi A7, is plagued with similar tech issues to other luxury rides. As CarEdge has reported, the A7 often is beset with costly maintenance and repair costs that are higher than the industry average for a luxury sedan of its type.