Residual Value Awards

"Residual value is important for automakers and consumers because it's a complete indicator of the vehicle's future value." – Larry Dominique

For car shoppers doing their math on lifecycle ownership costs, hybrid electric vehicles always present the challenge of being more expensive – maybe $5,000 more – than comparable non-hybrid models. High gasoline prices can help tip the scale in favor of gas-electrics, as do great loan and lease deals. Resale value is another factor in the equation, and several hybrid models, including a plug-in hybrid version, have been on the market long enough to show their long-term value.

Drive a new car off the lot and, boom, it's used and not worth nearly what you own on it. But to help buyers counter this to the best of their abilities, ALG has released its 14th annual list of best bets for retained value.

Well, color us embarrassed. Never you mind the earlier post we ran about last year's Kelly Blue Book resale value awards. As it turns out, KBB very wisely hands out those nods for the upcoming model year based on their projected resale values five years from now. For 2011, Subaru walked away with the title of Best Resale Value Brand while Zach Bowman