'I'm a used car expert - buy these models used to avoid losing thousands'

A popular motoring personality has warned motorists thinking about buying a certain car to always choose a pre-owned example to avoid some of the worst depreciation on the market. Whilst all new models go down in value as soon as they leave the dealership for the first time, some used cars depreciate at a much faster rate than others. To help drivers prevent depreciation causing them to lose thousands, Australian motoring expert Adam Morris from the YouTube channel ReDriven hosted a video in which he urged drivers to only buy used examples of certain cars, including Peugeots.

He said: "Stunning designs, loaded with features, absolutely wonderful to drive, but yet, quite possibly a terrible decision for your net worth. As a brand, on average, Peugeot cars retain just 53.3% of their new value [after two to seven years]. And you know which cars are to blame? It's the SUVs. The 2008 comes in the third-worst, having lost 37.5%, the 5008 lost 49.4%, and the 3008 lost 51.7%. And this mirrors other car brands.

"If Peugeot gave us nothing but interesting and fun little cars like the 208 GTI and back them up with a strong dealership network and price them competitively, maybe they'd be a much safer buy."

Whilst Adam had a lot of positive things to say about Peugeot's wide range of interesting and attractive models, the YouTuber warned that new examples do not hold their value as well as rivals.

A 2024 study of the UK market from Scrap Car Analysis shared Adam's findings that the SUVs are generally the worst hit by depreciation, with the 2008 compact crossover losing 66.2% of its value in four years.

As a result, drivers looking to buy a Peugeot have been urged to choose a pre-owned example or one of the lesser-depreciating new cars made by the brand, such as the 208 supermini or 308 family hatchback.

Later in the video, Adam also warned drivers to think twice before buying a new Tesla, warning that some retailers are no longer accepting them.

He added: "I'm sure we all saw this one coming - it's Tesla. However, with how Tesla are performing at the moment, this could get so much worse. Overall, on average, Tesla as a brand retains just 55.8% of its value, with the Model Y losing 35.9% and the Model 3 falling 46.5%.

"Look, obviously, we can't predict the future, but we say things could get much worse for this brand because we know of wholesalers that, right now, will no longer trade Teslas."

Whilst Elon Musk's political role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) under the Trump Administration continues to affect sales of new Teslas around the world, a high supply of pre-owned Teslas have also affected used values.

According to a study from Motorway, the flagship Model X crossover suffers the worst depreciation of all - losing 43% of its value in the space of three years.

However, a significant number of electric models suffer from similar depreciation due to a large quantity of ex-fleet models on the used market and new EVs being introduced at more affordable prices.