Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is sharing its 23rd annual Best Resale Value Awards. The awards recognize the 2025 model-year brand, category and top 10 model winners with the highest projected resale value through five years of ownership.
KBB says understanding a car's resale value, and the extent of how much this amount can vary from one model to another, can make the difference of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over time. Depreciation is the biggest cost of car ownership, but there are many other contributing factors including supply and demand as well as current and projected future market conditions.
According to KBB, the average 2025 model-year vehicle will only retain about 45% of its original value after a five-year ownership period. So a $50,000 new car today will only be worth somewhere close to $22,500 after five years. In comparison, all vehicles in KBB's Top 10 for Best Resale Value in 2025 are projected to retain around 53% or more of their MSRP after the initial five-year ownership period. Vehicles that are projected to hold their value better than others are typically discounted the least and tend to generate high levels of consumer interest.
KBB 2025 Best Resale Value Awards
This year, Toyota and Lexus continue to be brand leaders in the mass market and luxury segments, respectively.
"Toyota continues to ride the tide of its winning streak by taking home top honors for Best Resale Value: Brand, along with its sister company Lexus winning Best Resale Value: Luxury Brand," said Rheia Szymczyk, senior manager, valuation and analysis operations for Kelley Blue Book. "While there are several repeat winners on this year's Best Resale Value list, notable standouts include a few new models winning the award for the first time, especially in the ever-expanding electric vehicle categories."
- 2025 BEST RESALE VALUE: BRAND - TOYOTA
- 2025 BEST RESALE VALUE: LUXURY BRAND - LEXUS
2025 BEST RESALE VALUE: BY VEHICLE CATEGORY
- COMPACT CAR: Honda Civic
- MIDSIZE CAR: Honda Accord
- SPORTS CAR: Chevrolet Corvette
- MINIVAN: Toyota Sienna
- LUXURY COMPACT CAR: Acura Integra
- LUXURY MIDSIZE CAR: Lexus ES
- LUXURY FULL-SIZE SEDAN: Lexus LS
- OFF-ROAD SUV/CROSSOVER: Toyota 4Runner
- SUBCOMPACT SUV/CROSSOVER: Subaru Crosstrek
- COMPACT SUV/CROSSOVER: Honda CR-V
- MIDSIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Toyota Grand Highlander
- FULL-SIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Toyota Sequoia
- LUXURY SUBCOMPACT SUV/CROSSOVER: Lexus UX
- LUXURY COMPACT SUV/CROSSOVER: Lexus NX
- LUXURY MIDSIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Lexus RX
- LUXURY FULL-SIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- COMPACT PICKUP TRUCK: Ford Maverick
- MIDSIZE PICKUP TRUCK: Toyota Tacoma
- FULL-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK: Toyota Tundra-
- PLUG-IN HYBRID: 2025 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid
- ELECTRIC CAR: Tesla Model 3
- LUXURY ELECTRIC CAR: Porsche Taycan
- ELECTRIC SUV: Rivian R1S
- LUXURY ELECTRIC SUV: Lexus RZ
- ELECTRIC TRUCK: Rivian R1T
2025 BEST RESALE VALUE: TOP 10 CARS
KBB also recognizes the 10 individual vehicles that are projected to retain the highest percentage of their original manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). The 2025 Toyota Tacoma tops the top 10 list with a project 64.1 percent resale value after 5 years of ownership. It's one of five Toyotas on the list:
- 2025 Toyota Tacoma - 64.1%
- 2025 Chevrolet Corvette - 61%
- 2025 Toyota Tundra- 60.9%
- 2025 Toyota 4Runner - 60%
- 2025 Ford Bronco - 57%
- 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class - 56.6%
- 2025 Honda CR-V - 54.4%
- 2025 Toyota RAV4 - 53.9%
- 2025 Porsche 911 - 53.8%
- 2025 Toyota GR Supra- 53.7%
(Residual values used for award calculations are based on the 2025 model-year vehicles that appear in the January/February 2025 Kelley Blue Book Residual Value Guide. Top 10 models appear in alphabetical order).