There’s a lot to get excited about when you’re upgrading your ride, but the process also involves meticulous and sometimes monotonous details. You have to think about financing and paperwork, miles per gallon, and insurance and registration details. When you’re bogged down in the process, the last thing you may be thinking about is how much you’ll be able to sell the car for years down the road, but you should.

As cars get more and more expensive, Americans are holding on to them longer. On average, buyers will keep their vehicle for more than 12 years. The average price of a new car in 2026 is more than $49,000, and there are currently no new cars on the market for less than $20,000. If you’re hoping to see a decent return when you sell your car, whether you plan to hold on to it for five years, ten years, or more, you should definitely consider how quickly its value will depreciate.

According to iSeeCars, the top three vehicles with the lowest five-year depreciation are, unfortunately, rarely found in the average driveway. The Porsche 718 Cayman best retains its value, depreciating only 9.6% over five years, or just under $7,000. It’s closely followed by the Porsche 911, which typically falls in value by about 11.1%, or $15,500. These are both very expensive cars: the 718 Cayman retails for $75,400 at time of writing, while 911 models start at $135,000.

If you don’t plan to buy a Porsche, you might be wondering where your own vehicle sits on the list. The Chevrolet Corvette takes third place and, while a bit cheaper than the Porsche models, it is still a car few of us have in our garage. But Toyota Tacoma and the Toyota Tundra round out the top five, with an average five-year depreciation of 19.9% and 21.2%, respectively. The Tacoma, by the way, is extremely affordable, starting at $32,245.

If your budget is smaller but you still want to buy a new car that will hold its value, consider a Honda Civic. Coming in at number six on iSeeCar’s list of cars with the lowest depreciation, it loses about 22% of its value in five years but has a starting price under $25,000.

In 2026, the vehicle segments that depreciate slower than any other are trucks and hybrids. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid makes that top ten lowest depreciation list. Electric vehicles (EVs) fare the worst and on average depreciate by a whopping 57.2% in five years. Luxury vehicles also tend to depreciate quickly.

There are many factors that average into your car’s extended value, including the brand, miles driven, the age of the vehicle, its features, accident and damage history, how often you’ve had it serviced, and the number of owners. If you don’t plan to keep your car for more than a few years, do your research and buy something that will hold its value over time, otherwise you may lose out in the end.