SPY BEFORE YOU BUY! What Are The Top 20 Cars To Buy Used And The Top 20 Cars To Buy New?

iSeeCars analyzed over 1.6 million new and lightly used cars to determine which used models offer the biggest savings compared to new and which lightly used vehicles are so pricey that buyers should skip the used versions and buy new. The rankings offer a starting point to help shoppers narrow down their choices or find more vehicles to consider, based on price.

Highlights:

* The average lightly used car costs $5,778, or 12.8 percent, less than its new-car equivalent
* The no. 1 vehicle to buy used over new is the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which loses 47 percent of its value, pricing it $65,000 below its new-car cost after just one year
* The Nissan LEAF, Jaguar F-PACE, Alfa Romeo Guilia, and Kia EV6 all lost over 33 percent in value after one year, making them excellent lightly used car values
* The no. 1 vehicle to buy new over used is the Land Rover Range Rover. The used version actually costs $4,000 more than a brand new model, making this a prime example of a better vehicle to buy new versus used
* The Kia Rio, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Ford Maverick, and Toyota Sequoia all lost less than 5 percent in cost after one year, making them better new car purchases
* Eight out of the 20 best cars to buy used are electric vehicles; six out of the 20 best cars to buy new are hybrids, with two Teslas also making the “buy new over used” list

Price can be a major factor in the decision whether to buy a used car or new one. While the average new car costs $45,106 and loses 12.8 percent of its value after one year,  some cars lose considerably more value a year after purchase, making them excellent “like new” value used cars. Conversely, other cars maintain their near-new pricing even after 12 months and 10,000-plus miles of use. Used car shoppers considering one of these lightly used models are getting minimal savings and should probably buy a new model instead.

20 Best cars to buy lightly used: One-year-old models that offer big savings

“Car buyers seeking the best value often shop used models instead of new,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars executive analyst.“While a used car almost always costs less than it did new, some models lose more than 25 percent of their value after just one year, giving buyers a near-new ownership experience at a substantial savings.”


Although new car prices are slowly dropping, an average price of $45,106 means many consumers will be buying used instead. But some lightly used, 1-year-old cars can offer a like-new experience for $8,600 to $65,000 less than their new versions cost, according to the latest iSeeCars study.

The study analyzed over 1.6 million new and lightly used cars to identify the top cars to buy used instead of new - and the top to buy new instead of used, based on price. 

Here are 10 of the top 20 cars to buy used instead of new:

The study also identified 20 cars that hold their value extremely well, losing less than 10 percent after one year. Buyers considering these vehicles won’t save that much on the lightly used model and might be better off choosing a brand new version.

Here are 10 of the top 20 cars to buy new instead of used:

“A used car should offer meaningful savings compared to a new model, but these lightly used cars provide so little savings that buyers should pay a little more to get a new one,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Brauer. “It’s clear hybrids are resonating with today’s car shoppers, as they occupy five of the top 10 slots for lightly used models that hold their value best.”