Luxury cars most likely to be resold within a year, iSeeCars study finds
Image courtesy of iSeeCars.
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While more and more car owners are holding onto their vehicles longer these days, there are some models that tend to change hands very quickly — as in, within a year after they’re purchased new.
And perhaps not surprisingly, those models tend to be on the high end of the price scale.
The latest research from iSeeCars found the 10 new vehicles most likely to be resold within one year are all luxury models.
The analysis of more than 18.5 million new cars sold in 2023-2024 showed 28.3% of Land Rover Discovery Sport SUVs were sold again less than 12 months after being bought new, the highest rate in the industry and almost eight times the overall average one-year resale rate of 3.6%.
The Discovery Sport was followed by the Porsche Macan at 22.2%, and three Mercedes-Benz models: the GLB (21.2%), CLA (20.4%) and GLA (16.7%). In all four Mercedes vehicles are on the top 10 list, along with three Land Rovers, a Porsche, a BMW and a Jaguar.
Three of the 10 carried a price tag of more than $70,000 when bought new, led by Porsche’s Macan ($77,727), while the lowest-priced vehicle on the list — the $48,548 Mercedes GLA — was still priced above the average of $46,773 for all vehicles in the study.
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“Every model in the top 10 ranking of new cars most likely to be resold is a luxury vehicle,” iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer said. “This suggests luxury buyers are either not doing enough research before buying, are overextending themselves financially or are just incredibly fickle when it comes to their new car purchases.
“Is this a reflection of temperamental buyers who can’t commit or dealers using demonstrator cars and creative accounting to juice their numbers? Probably both.”
Whatever the reason, iSeeCars said 1-year-old cars discarded by their original owners can represent a great opportunity for buyers seeking a low-mileage, nearly new vehicle at well below the new-car price, though the automotive search engine and research website said those buyers should be sure they’re getting the remainder of the new-car warranty.
The full study is available here.
