Value & depreciation
SUVs That Hold Their Value Best
Ranked from the iSeeCars Cars That Hold Their Value Best Study (2026). CarOutlay adds the ownership-cost lens — what each result means for the real 5-year cost of owning the car.
The ranking
SUVs ranked by lowest 5-year depreciation, across small, midsize and large classes. Lower = better. SUV segment average: 44.9% (industry average 41.8%).
- Toyota RAV4 / RAV4 Hybrid Holds value best Best-retaining small SUV. 25.2%
- Toyota 4Runner Best-retaining midsize SUV. 25.5%
- Honda HR-V 28.8%
- Honda CR-V 28.9%
- Subaru Crosstrek 29.1%
- Jeep Wrangler 32.4%
- Subaru Forester 32.6%
- Lexus RX 350 32.8%
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class Best-retaining large SUV. 34.0%
- Toyota Highlander / Highlander Hybrid 36.0%
- Ford Bronco 39.9%
- Chevrolet Tahoe 45.3%
Large SUVs lose the most
The big-body SUVs that shed value fastest in the same 2026 study. Higher = worse. SUV segment average: 44.9%.
- Mercedes-Benz GLS Loses most value 51.6%
- Chevrolet Suburban 49.7%
- GMC Yukon / Yukon XL 48.0%
Why this matters for your cost of ownership
SUVs are the most-bought body style in America, but as a category they depreciate slightly faster than the market (44.9% vs 41.8%), so model choice drives a huge swing in cost. A compact crossover that loses ~25% over five years versus a large luxury SUV that loses 50%+ can differ by a five-figure sum on similar money. Because depreciation dwarfs fuel and maintenance for most owners, picking a slow-depreciating SUV is the highest-leverage decision in the segment. Run your shortlisted SUVs through our TCO calculator to compare their true five-year cost, not just the sticker price.
Open the 5-Year TCO calculatorHow this ranking is measured
iSeeCars analyzed more than 950,000 five-year-old used cars sold between March 2025 and February 2026, computing each model's five-year depreciation as the percentage of original price lost. This list assembles the lowest-depreciation SUVs from the study's small, midsize and large SUV sub-rankings into one ranked table; a lower percentage means the SUV held more of its value. SUVs as a whole lost 44.9% on average — slightly worse than the market — but the spread is wide, with compact Toyota and Honda models retaining far more than large luxury SUVs.
Source: iSeeCars, Cars That Hold Their Value Best Study (2026). Based on over 950,000 five-year-old used cars sold from March 2025 to February 2026. SUV segment average 5-year depreciation: 44.9%; industry average: 41.8%. View the original study ↗
Frequently asked questions
Which SUV holds its value best?
In the iSeeCars 2026 study, the Toyota RAV4 holds its value best among SUVs, losing just 25.2% over five years, with the Toyota 4Runner (25.5%) and Honda HR-V (28.8%) close behind. Among large SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class leads at 34.0%. The SUV segment averages 44.9% depreciation.
Do SUVs depreciate faster than cars?
As a category, slightly. iSeeCars' 2026 data puts the SUV average at 44.9% five-year depreciation, just above the 41.8% industry average and well behind trucks (34.2%) and hybrids (35.4%). But the range is enormous — the best small SUVs lose under 30%, while large luxury SUVs can lose more than half their value.
Why do large luxury SUVs lose value so fast?
They start with high prices and expensive options the used market discounts heavily, and they carry steeper repair, fuel and insurance costs that deter second owners. In the 2026 study, large SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz GLS (51.6%), Chevrolet Suburban (49.7%) and GMC Yukon (48.0%) depreciated faster than compact crossovers — which is why buying one lightly used can be a bargain.
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