Slowest-depreciating cars for less than £50,000

Model 35 TFSI Black Edition S Tronic List price £27,725 36k/3yr resale value £16,825 Price drop £10,900 Retained value 60.7%

While you'll pay more to own the Audi A1 than you will for the rival Volkswagen Polo, it's the Audi which will earn you a greater percentage of your money back when you come to sell it. Indeed, the A1 has the lowest depreciation of any small car.

The 35 TFSI model develops 148bhp, and should be both fast and relatively frugal. The A1 is comfortable on longer trips, with the kind of smooth, controlled ride which you wouldn't neccessarily expect to find in the small car class.

While the A1 feels suitably upmarket inside, beating rivals like the Seat Ibiza on interior quality, it's not up to the standards of the original A1, and in places the VW Polo feels just as robust.

Read our full Audi A1 review

Model 1.6T GDi HEV GT-Line List price £34,240 36k/3yr resale value £19,800 Price drop £14,440 Retained value 57.8%

In the cut-throat world of family SUVs, the Kia Sportage has an edge: it’ll keep its value better than any rival. But that’s only part of the story; in fact, it’s so good we named it our Family SUV of the Year.

Let’s start with the engine options. You can have the Sportage in pure petrol, mild hybrid, hybrid or plug-in hybrid forms, and it’s the regular hybrid that holds on to its value the best. It’s agreeably nippy, with the 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor working together to produce 226bhp, yet it’s also economical; we clocked up an average of 43.8mpg in our real-world fuel tests.

Your family will have more room to stretch out inside the Sportage than they would in most rival SUVs, and we managed to fit more luggage into its boot than those of the Honda ZR-V and Renault Austral.

GT-Line is the second rung on the Sportage trim level ladder and adds worthwhile features such as keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control and leather trim to the entry-level Sportage 2’s kit list.

Read our full Kia Sportage review

Model D200 S List price £45,245 36k/3yr resale value £26,025 Price drop £19,220 Retained value 57.5%

Land Rovers hold on to their value well, and the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport would be in the top 10 were it not for our £50,000 price cap. As it is, though, only the Range Rover Evoque makes the cut.

Still, the Evoque offers much of the same comfort that you’d get from its pricier siblings. In fact, its interior matches those of the very best small SUVs, with plush materials covering every surface you touch. Entry-level S trim represents the best value in the line-up, coming with heated front seats, leather upholstery and a heated windscreen and steering wheel.

While the Evoque’s petrol engines need to be revved hard to perform, the D200’s 2.0-litre diesel pulls well from low revs. Just be warned that no Evoque – barring the plug-in hybrid – will be especially cheap to run.

Ride comfort is generally impressive, though, and it handles assuredly through corners, with accurate, responsive steering and no shortage of grip. And should you wish to travel off the beaten track, the Evoque will take you farther than most rivals.

Read our full Range Rover Evoque review

Model 1.5 i-MMD Crosstar Advance List price £29,085 36k/3yr resale value £16,475 Price drop £12,610 Retained value 56.6%

The Honda Jazz is one of the best small cars you can buy. For one thing, it's spacious, with seats which can flip up cinema-style to allow you to load longer items across its back seats. It's also comfortable, with a ride which is better than many rivals, meaning it's smooth for longer journeys. And it's economical, with the hybrid setup allowing the Jazz to run for short distances on electric power alone, and contributing to stellar fuel economy.

The Jazz offers the kind of high-set driving position which will make you feel like you're driving an SUV, and the materials used inside it are a cut above rivals including the Seat Ibiza and Skoda Fabia.

If the looks of the standard Jazz don't agree with you, then the rugged SUV-esque looks of this Crosstar model might be more up your street. The Advance trim you get with this model brings lots of useful kit, including keyless entry and start, a heated steering wheel and sat-nav.

Read our full Honda Jazz review

Model 1.5 C Classic List price £25,700 36k/3yr resale value £14,425 Price drop £11,275 Retained value 56.1%

The latest Mini Cooper is available with both petrol and electric power, and it's the former which holds its value the best. The 1.5-litre petrol engine might only produce 154bhp in the Cooper C, but it's feisty, offering more pulling power than the equivalent engine in the rival Audi A1. And unlike some rivals, it shouldn't cost you a lot to run either, officially averaging 47.9mpg.

The Mini is a fun small car to weave along a country road, with a grippy front end and body movements kept well in check through twists and turns. The ride is a bit firm, though, and the rival VW Polo will smother out most undulations better.

Front passengers will have plenty of room to stretch out in the Mini, but rear space is rather tight and you can't fit much into the boot. 

Read our full Mini Cooper review

Model 2.0 PHEV Excel List price £40,610 36k/3yr resale value £22,025 Price drop £18,585 Retained value 54.6%

Previous versions of the Toyota Prius became favourites for corporate fleets and taxi drivers alike thanks to their stellar reliability and hybrid power which helped to keep running costs low. And this new version should do the same, but with more appeal for private buyers thanks to being a plug-in hybrid. Indeed, it has a 2.0-litre petrol engine working in conjunction with an electric motor, with the two producing a combined 220bhp – enough to make the Prius feel rather nippy.

Even better, its 13.9kWh (usable capacity) battery officially allows for up to 44 miles of electric driving, and that could be enough to cover the school run, your commute, or both, without the petrol engine ever needing to wake up. 

All in, we think the Prius is one of the most comfortable plug-in hybrid family hatchbacks around, with a ride that's more comfortable than that of the VW Golf eHybrid, and more engaging handling than the Peugeot 308 PHEV. That it also won't lose much value over three years is the icing on a very tempting cake.

Read our full Toyota Prius review

Model Long Range Techno List price £40,995 36k/3yr resale value £22,000 Price drop £18,995 Retained value 53.7%

In its earlier life, the Renault Scenic was a fairly frumpy family MPV, but now it’s been reborn as a fashionable electric SUV – and one that’s predicted to hold onto its value better than any other car of its kind.

To go with its up-to-the-minute exterior styling, the Scenic is tech-heavy inside, with a crisp and super-responsive infotainment touchscreen, and a sunroof that can be darkened in sections.

This version has an 87kWh (usable capacity) battery and a 217bhp motor, offering a 0-62mph sprint time of 8.4sec and an official range of 388 miles – beating most rivals, including the Tesla Model Y.

The Scenic jostles you around over road surface imperfections, but it doesn’t thud over them like the Model Y. The Skoda Enyaq is a more engaging drive, though; its steering is more naturally weighted and there’s less body lean through corners.

Inside, rear seat occupants get acres of space and the boot should have no trouble accommodating a buggy or a family’s holiday luggage.

Read our full Renault Scenic E-Tech review

Model 1.2 GT-Line S List price £19,135 36k/3yr resale value £10,050 Price drop £9085 Retained value 52.5%

It might seem like everyone is buying an SUV these days, but small cars like the Kia Picanto seem a more natural fit in the city, where space is at a premium. Despite its diminutive proportions, it’s usefully spacious; a tall party of four will be happy enough to travel together, as long as the journey isn’t too long. What’s more, you can fit more luggage into its boot than those of the rival Toyota Aygo X and Volkswagen Up. This Picanto X-Line S joins the Aygo X in having rugged, SUV-like styling, too.

While the non-turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine you get with this version of the Picanto isn’t the last word in power (the 0-60mph sprint takes a leisurely 14.9sec), it should be fine for pootling around town. Plus, it should be cheap to run; it averaged 46.8mpg in our tests.

The Picanto doesn’t ride as well as some rival small cars; both the Dacia Sandero and Hyundai i10 are comfier overall. However, the Picanto counters with agile handling and more accurate steering than the Sandero. Plus, it holds on to its value better than either of those models.

Read our full Kia Picanto review

Model 1.5 Hybrid SE List price £18,495 36k/3yr resale value £9550 Price drop £8945 Retained value 51.6%

The MG3 has the honour of being the cheapest car to buy from new on this list, because it costs less than most of its small car rivals, including the Suzuki Swift. And while a few models, such as the Citroen C3 and Dacia Sandero, will cost you less still, it's the MG which will be worth the most when the time comes to sell.

It's not as if the MG's interior looks bargain basement, either, with textured plastics and an impressive array of standard kit. Indeed, entry-level SE trim comes with everything from air conditioning to adaptive cruise control, and from 16in alloy wheels to automatic headlights.

The sole engine choice right now is the hybrid model, which can drive for short distances on electric power alone, and feels pleasantly sprightly when you put your foot down. The rival Skoda Fabia and VW Polo offer a smoother ride, and the C3 is easier to turn on tight city streets, but for the money the MG represents remarkable value.

Read our full MG3 review

Model 1.6 Hybrid N Line DCT List price £32,835 36k/3yr resale value £16,375 Price drop £16,460 Retained value 49.9%

Some versions of the Kona depreciate faster than small SUV rivals such as the Ford Puma and Volkswagen T-Roc. However, in this hybrid form, it knocks those rivals into a cocked hat in terms of value retention.

It also just so happens that the hybrid version is our favourite. It should be cheap to run; officially, it’ll return 61mpg, because it can run for short distances on electric power alone, such as when in slow-moving traffic, with its 1.6-litre petrol engine coming to life only when needed.

The Kona is also a comfy choice for your commute, taking the sting out of potholes and other road imperfections even better than the Puma and T-Roc. Just bear in mind that it’s not especially dynamic to drive, due to a fair amount of body lean and vague steering.

The Kona gives you the kind of elevated driving position that most SUV buyers crave, so you get a good view ahead. As is the case with most rivals, seeing out of the rear is trickier, but this N Line version helps you out, displaying a 360-degree overhead view of the car when manoeuvring

Read our full Hyundai Kona review

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