First Motorcheck Used Car Residual Value Analysis shows that Toyota, Skoda and Ford dominate their segments.

Irish Car History Website Motorcheck.ie has undertaken the first comprehensive study of residual values in the Irish Motor industry. The study examined a wide range of cars in key segments and the results show that most popular categories are dominated by a small number of marques.

The study used a sample of 12,530 of the top selling vehicles in Ireland and examined the percentage of original purchase value retained by those vehicles over a three-year period.

In the Small Hatch Petrol segment, the top-selling version of the Toyota Yaris retained 66% of its original value after three years, ahead of the Peugeot 207 (65%) and Hyundai i20 (64%). While in the Small Diesel Segment, Skoda's Fabia 1.4 TDI retained 67% of its original value ahead of the Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI (66%) and Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI (65%).

In the very popular Mid-Range Segment, when it came to petrol engine models, the Ford Focus retained 63% of its value after three years, ahead of the Volkswagen Golf with 60% and the Toyota Auris with 54%. For Diesel Powered Cars, the Toyota Auris retained the largest portion of its original purchase price (62%) ahead of the Volkswagen Golf (60%) and Hyundai i30 (59%).

Toyota's Corolla saloon retained 58% of its value to be the car with the best residual value in the Mid-Range Petrol Saloon segment ahead of the Ford Focus (49%) and Nissan Tiida (47%). However when it came to diesels in this segment, which make up the overwhelming majority of this class, the Skoda Octavia was number 1, retaining 62% of its original value ahead of the Toyota Corolla (60%) and Ford Focus (60%).

Moving up to the Large Saloon Petrol Segment, the Opel Insignia retains 49% of its original value after three years, with the Toyota Avensis retaining 49% and the Mazda6 retaining 43%. In the Large Diesel Saloon Segment, the Skoda Superb is the overwhelming champion in this class, retaining 61% of its original value compared to the Ford Mondeo with 52% and the Opel
Insignia with 52%.

According to the results buying a small diesel-powered hatchback is the shrewdest decision when it comes to residual values as they on average retain 62% of their new value after three years. This is followed by the small petrol hatchback segment with 61% and the mid-range diesel hatch. Diesel powered cars hold their value better than petrol powered cars in every category of the Motorcheck report, with the biggest difference on average between Large Diesel Saloons which retained 50% of their value after three years and Large Petrol Saloons which retained just 43% of their value after three years.

Commenting on the report, Shane Teskey of Motorcheck.ie said, "Today's savvy car buyers are always looking for ways to reduce their TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Understanding which car will depreciate the least before you buy it new could save you thousands when it comes to trading it in or selling privately later".