Cars that retain their value

Everyone expects their cars to lose value over time. Unless you're dealing in the rarified collector-car market, your daily driver is depreciating every single day you own it.

Thing is, not all cars depreciate at the same speed. Some vehicles retain much more value than others, and that means choosing the right car or truck can save you quite a bit of money if you plan to keep it for a few years.

Edmunds has compiled a list of cars that hold on to more value than other vehicles in their respective segments. The list of cars that boast the highest projected private party residual value five years after their launch, expressed as a percentage of their average True Market Value®, starts right here.

Stepping up into the premium luxury car category brings with it some pretty heavy-hitting entries from the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and, as you can see here, Porsche. Edmunds estimates that the Porsche Panamera is the best at retaining value in this segment of luxury cars.

The Panamera is offered in ten versions, the rear-wheel drive 2 and S, and the all-wheel drive 4, 4S, 4S Executive, GTS, Turbo, Turbo Executive, Turbo S and Turbo S Executive. The 2 and 4 models come with a direct injected 3.6-litre 310-hp V-6 engine, the S/4S get a 420-hp twin-turbo 3.0-litre V-6, the GTS sports a 4.8-litre V-8 making 440-hp, while the Turbo adds twin turbos to the V-8 to make 520-hp and the Turbo S bumps that up to 570 hp.

Edmunds has a bit of a surprise winner in the entry-level sportscar category in the form of the Dodge Challenger. We generally like the Challenger, especially in its SRT trim levels, but it's a consistent number-three sales finisher in a category that also includes the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang. Considering its perennial third-place position, we wouldn't have expected it to retain more value than its competitors after five years of ownership.