Back in the old days —say, 2019—buying a used car could save you a lot of money. The conventional wisdom was that new cars lost thousands in value as soon as they’re driven off the lot, saving used car buyers as much as 20% to 30% in the first year.
But with pandemic-related semiconductor chip shortages leading to low inventory of vehicles and resulting higher prices, things have changed in weird, and expensive, ways.
The average transaction price of a new car is more than $47,000, according to Kelley Blue Book; that’s about 30% higher than 2019. Average used car transaction prices have climbed from around $20,000 in 2019 to about $27,000 this year.
That’s still a significant savings over new, but some used cars are actually selling for more than their new counterparts. A study by vehicle search-engine iSeeCars found 15 lightly-used models which had average asking prices that were higher compared to those of new cars from the same model.
On the flip side, if you’re looking to save money on a car, iSeeCars found that there were also several models that depreciate enough to offer the greatest savings when purchased used over new.
iSeeCars.com analyzed over 1.5 million cars sold in January 2022, including new cars (model years 2021 and 2022) and lightly-used cars (model years 2020 and 2021) comparing the average asking prices of the lightly-used cars to those of new cars from the same model. The difference in price for each car was expressed as a percentage of the new average prices and ranked by this difference.
Low-volume models were excluded from the analysis, as were cars with outlier mileages and models discontinued as of the 2021 model year.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class leads the pack as the used car selling for more than new, priced as much as 35% higher—$62,705—than new.
Based on the analysis by iSeeCars, here are 15 models that are selling for higher prices used than new, followed by the models that are likely to give you the best buy used.
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
1. Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Used price % more than new: +35.6%
Used price $ more than new: +$62,705
Mercedes-Benz
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
2. Chevrolet Corvette
Used price % more than new: +20.2%
Used price $ more than new: +$16,645
Chevrolet
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
3. Tesla Model 3
Used price % more than new: +17.8%
Used price $ more than new: +$8,300
(The Tesla Model 3 average new car price was estimated by applying used car trim distribution to pre-rebate new car MSRP as of March 2021.)
Tesla
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
4. Ford Bronco Sport
Used price % more than new: +16.4%
Used price $ more than new: +$5,766
Ford
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
5. Chevrolet Trailblazer
Used price % more than new: +15.6%
Used price $ more than new: +$4,270
Chevrolet
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
6. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
Used price % more than new: +14.8%
Used price $ more than new: +$5,298
Toyota
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
7. Chevrolet Suburban
Used price % more than new: +12.9%
Used price $ more than new: +$9,106
Chevrolet
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
8. Toyota Tacoma
Used price % more than new: +12.2%
Used price $ more than new: +$4,530
Toyota
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
9. Toyota C-HR
Used price % more than new: +12.2%
Used price $ more than new: +$3,230
Toyota
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
10. Kia Telluride
Used price % more than new: +12.1%
Used price $ more than new: +$5,552
Kia
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
11. Kia Rio
Used price % more than new: +11.7%
Used price $ more than new: +$2,090
Kia
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
12. Subaru Crosstrek
Used price % more than new: +11.7%
Used price $ more than new: +$3,524
Subaru
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
13. GMC Yukon
Used price % more than new: +11.3%
Used price $ more than new: +$8,258
GM
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
14. Toyota Sienna
Used price % more than new: +11.2%
Used price $ more than new: +$5,074
Toyota
Used Cars That Cost More Than New
15. Hyundai Accent
Used price % more than new: +11.2%
Used price $ more than new: +$2,010
Hyundai
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
These are the cars that offer the greatest savings when purchased used over new:
1. Ford Mustang
New price % higher than used: +19.4%
New price $ higher than used: +$9,519
Ford
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
2. BMW 7 Series
New price % higher than used: +18.7%
New price $ higher than used: +$19,206
BMW
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
3. Acura MDX
New price % higher than used: +17.1%
New price $ higher than used: +$9,766
Acura
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
4. Buick Enclave
New price % higher than used: +16.8%
New price $ higher than used: +$8,932
Buick
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
5. Nissan Pathfinder
New price % higher than used: +16.7%
New price $ higher than used: +$7,032
Nissan
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
6. Nissan Murano
New price % higher than used: +15.8%
New price $ higher than used: +$7,048
Nissan
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
7. Audi A6
New price % higher than used: +15.6%
New price $ higher than used: +$10,079
Audi
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
8. Volkswagen Golf GTI
New price % higher than used: +15.2%
New price $ higher than used: +$5,879
Volkswagen
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
9. Mitsubishi Outlander
New price % higher than used: +14.9%
New price $ higher than used: +$4,839
Mitsubishi
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
10. Jeep Cherokee
New price % higher than used: +12.7%
New price $ higher than used: +$4,547
Jeep
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
11. Mercedes-Benz E-Class
New price % higher than used: +12.6%
New price $ higher than used: +$8,925
Mercedes-Benz
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
12. Nissan Armada
New price % higher than used: +12.1%
New price $ higher than used: +$7,834
Nissan
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
13. Nissan Maxima
New price % higher than used: +11.5%
New price $ higher than used: +$5,005
Nissan
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
14. Land Rover Discovery Sport
New price % higher than used: +11.3%
New price $ higher than used: +$6,047
Land Rover
The Used Cars That Will Save You the Most
15. Nissan LEAF
New price % higher than used: +10.9%
New price $ higher than used: +$3,704
