2016 Best Resale Value Award Winners Announced by Kelley Blue Book

Subaru, Lexus Once Again Achieve Top Honors as Best Brand, Luxury Brand; Trucks, SUVs Dominate Top 10; Tesla Wins First-Ever Best Resale Value Award

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 model-year brand and category winners of the annual Best Resale Value Awards, recognizing vehicles for their projected retained value through the initial five-year ownership period, were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. 

For the second year in a row, Subaru and Lexus earned top honors for best brand and best luxury brand (respectively), with Subaru claiming four model winners and Lexus producing six model winners from a total of 22 different segments.  In addition, Toyota and General Motors each have an impressive five models winning 2016 Best Resale Value Awards, Porsche has two models taking home resale value honors this year, and Tesla is receiving its first-ever Best Resale Value Award. 

"Lexus notably captured the top luxury brand award for the fifth year in a row, and after previously winning the brand award in 2011 and 2015, Subaru is back on top once again for 2016 as the best mainstream brand for resale value across its entire lineup," said Eric Ibara, director of residual values for Kelley Blue Book.  "While both Subaru and Lexus deliver incredible resale value, we also continue to be impressed with General Motors, which tops domestic automakers with seven combined awards for Chevrolet and GMC and places four of its vehicles in our Top 10.  In addition, the majority of the Top 10 Best Resale Value vehicles this year are trucks and SUVs, which is further testament to the strength these segments will carry in the future.  Five out of the Top 10 vehicles with Best Resale Value for 2016 are pickup trucks."

Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards are in its 14th year and are based on projections from the Kelley Blue Book^® Official Residual Value Guide.  Kelley Blue Book^® Residual Values are established by experienced automotive analysts that review the output from the statistical models built upon millions of transactions.  Vehicles that earn the highest five-year residual values, expressed as a percentage of their original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), are selected for these prestigious awards.  Low-volume vehicles and vehicles with an MSRP of more than $60,000 are excluded from award consideration, except in the plug-in vehicle, luxury and high-performance categories.

(Residual values used for award calculations are based on the 2016 model-year vehicles that appear in the January/February 2016 Kelley Blue Book^® Residual Value Guide.  Top 10 models appear in alphabetical order).

While most car buyers today consider sticker price one of the most significant numbers when choosing a new vehicle, the editors at Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com recommend shoppers consider a number they won't find on any window sticker: the resale value.  Depreciation often is the greatest expense incurred by drivers during the first five years of vehicle ownership.  An average 2016 model-year vehicle only will retain about 34.8 percent of its original value after a five-year ownership period, meaning that a $50,000 new car today will only be worth somewhere close to $17,400 after five years.  Vehicles with average or below-average resale values are generally plentiful in the marketplace and easy to find.  But certain vehicles are projected to hold their value better than others.  While much of a vehicle's resale value is based on supply and demand, as well as current and projected future market conditions, vehicles that retain their value best are typically discounted the least and tend to generate high levels of consumer interest.

"Most options and packages added to a vehicle do not necessarily increase its resale value," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.  "However, there are exceptions to the rule, such as a high-performance engine or a performance package in a sports car.  Regional preferences can significantly impact the value of a vehicle as well.  In the colder sections of the country, a two-wheel drive vehicle's resale value often will not be as high as a four-wheel or all-wheel drive version of that same model.  In warmer climates black (or dark-colored) cars will not have as high resale value as they could command in other regions."

While the company's Residual Value Guide has been published since 1982, Kelley Blue Book established its annual Best Resale Value Awards in 2003.  Residual values reflect projected future auction values for vehicles in average condition with 75,000 miles at the end of a five-year lease or ownership period.  Kelley Blue Book's residual values are used by manufacturers, banks, financial institutions and the automotive leasing industry.

For more information about Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards, please visit http://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/.

To discuss this topic, or any other automotive-related information, with a Kelley Blue Book analyst on-camera via the company's on-site studio, please contact a member of the Public Relations team to book an interview.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and get updates on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/+kbb.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies.  Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for four consecutive years.  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

For further information: Chintan Talati, 949-267-4855, chintan.talati@kbb.com, Joanna Pinkham, 404-568-7135, joanna.pinkham@kbb.com, Brenna Robinson, 949-267-4781, brenna.robinson@kbb.com, Michelle Behar, 949-268-4259, michelle.behar@kbb.com