Buying a new car is as expensive as ever, with the problem exacerbated by rising living costs that are pushing American wages to their limit. They may provide little in the way of drama for several years, but the cost of securing one in the first place can push some to the edge of their financial threshold, making this point rather moot. A key reason for this is the push towards electrification in the auto industry, which is forcing manufacturers to ask for more money to try to recoup their significant investments.
As a result, those with lesser budgets can find more success opting for a used vehicle instead, with a pre-loved Toyota tending to be a great option. The thing is, the value of these machines has been rising steeply in recent times, making it pretty tough to find one in good condition for a small amount of cash.
This piece explores why used Toyota vehicles are getting ever more valuable, and which of its models are holding their value the best. We also investigated the vehicle that holds its worth the best on the used market, which turns out to be American-made.
Toyotas Keep Hold Of Their Value Brilliantly
2025 Toyota TacomaToyota
This phenomenon is clear to see, too, as Toyota has achieved success in terms of offering vehicles that keep hold of their value the best. While this is great for those who buy brand-new examples, as it means they can get more of their money back than if they’d chosen a competitor, it’s not so good for used buyers. The used market is a great place to find a bargain, but grabbing a cheap Toyota in decent condition for a great price compared to their brand-new equivalents is getting ever harder.
Take the Toyota Tacoma midsize pickup truck as a good illustration of this, as older examples from 2023 are reportedly now fetching more than their original MSRP.
The Japanese Giant Consistently Beats Its Rivals When It Comes To Depreciation
2026 Toyota Corolla Sedan XSEToyota
Beyond this, Toyota’s success can be seen when you take into account CarEdge’s list of brands with the best resale value. Toyota comfortably leads the way as its range tends to keep 64.9% of its base worth over a five-year period. The next best brand is Subaru on 61.2%, while Honda completes the podium with a score of 60.5%.
In addition to this, Toyota also led the way in JD Power’s 2026 ALG Residual Value Award, which records how much value a particular vehicle will retain over a five-year lease deal.
Discussion
Is the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro the ultimate ‘Midlife Crisis Car’?
The conventional midlife crisis point is around 40-ish. That means the person hitting that crisis point and potentially buying a “fun” car to compensate is now a millennial. Traditionally, the midlife crisis car has been a sports car, like the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Corvette. Do millennials follower in their Boomer dads’ footsteps? Or, would the modern equivalent skew more toward outdoors and adventure, with an off-road Truck like the Tacoma TRD Pro?
Toyota’s Dependability Is Helping It Remain Ahead Of The Pack
2026 Toyota Camry XSE. Sedan. Front, three-quartersToyota
The chief reason for this is that Toyota has done an amazing job of building up a reputation for producing dependable cars that people trust, which is key when you’re trying to get buyers to lay down a huge amount of their savings on their next car.
Toyotas also come with plenty of equipment as standard, and at a good price when compared to their rivals. At the same time, plenty of engine and vehicle types are available to fit a range of lifestyles. This provides the versatility needed to appeal to a wide variety of vehicle buyers.
These elements make it easy for people to recommend Toyota to their friends and family, which starts a snowball effect that now means Toyota is a byword for dependability and affordability. In a world where many just need a car to do everyday jobs reliably and cheaply, and without adding unnecessary stress to already busy lives, most understandably take the easy route.
By buying a Toyota. This extra appeal is crucial in ensuring a car holds its value, as is the fact that models built by the brand can be trusted to work for many years and hundreds of thousands of miles with basic maintenance. Many Toyota vehicles can easily eclipse the 200,000-mile mark without much trouble, which ensures they’re worth more money on the used market for longer.
The Used Market Is Up On The Whole
2016 Toyota Prius VToyota
These attributes have proven even more valuable when you take into account the general health of the used vehicle market. The average cost of a used car, as well as the average age of vehicles on the road in the US, has increased in recent years. This is primarily due to the cost of new cars rising, with factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent rise in tariffs forcing brands to ask for more money for their new offerings.
Used cars aren’t affected by these problems, so they have become more valuable as buyers turn towards them to try not to bankrupt themselves by entering into a high-interest finance deal needed to secure a new vehicle. If you can’t afford the luxury of giving in to the dependability potential of a new car, then the second-best option is a pre-owned Toyota. And the market knows this, hence the reason for even the marque’s high-mileage vehicles building their worth more effectively than ever.
A Range Of Toyotas Have Held Their Worth Excellently
2025 Toyota Tacoma SR5 hero shotToyota
It’s not just a few extremely well-performing nameplates that have afforded Toyota its recent used market value dominance, either. According to CarEdge, six of the top 10 least-depreciating cars come with Toyota badges. The best performing was the Tacoma midsize truck, which is expected to be worth 78.4% of its original MSRP after five years of hard work. The brand’s sports cars have also done well in this metric, with the GR86 narrowly heading the GR Supra in the ranking.
Best Toyota Model Value Retention Over Five Years
Tacoma
78.4%
GR86
76.9%
GR Supra
76.9%
Corolla Hatchback
76.7%
4Runner
74.9%
Tundra
74.0%
Rav4
72.5%
Corolla Cross
70.4%
Sitting fourth and fifth overall, the duo retain 76.9% of their original worth over half a decade, while the Corolla Hatchback squeezes in just behind with 76.7% of value retention. The 4Runner SUV and Tundra full-size truck are the other Toyota entries in the top 10, courtesy of their respective 74.9% and 74.0% figures. Beyond this, a further five of its offerings feature in the top 20, ensuring that over half of the top 20 least depreciating cars in the US are Toyotas.
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Not All Toyotas Are Such Success Stories
2025 Toyota bZ4X Nightshade White Rear Angled View DrivingToyota
Of course, even the best have off days. By far the worst performing of the firm’s vehicles is the bZ4X electric crossover, which places 161st in the order with a value retention figure of 41.7%. That said, very few EVs hold their value at the moment, primarily due to their general unpopularity with the public, as well as the worry about expensive future battery maintenance, so Toyota can be forgiven somewhat.
Its Crown sedan can’t use this excuse though, and it only mustered a 119th-place result thanks to its sub-par 49% performance. Every final boss has its weakness, right?
The Least Depreciating Vehicle In The US Comes With An American Badge
2024 – 2026 GMC Sierra 3500HD 5th Gen (GMTT1XX) Facelift PickupGMC
Despite Toyota creations excelling across the board when it comes to holding, as well as increasing, their value, the top spot when it came to money retention went the way of the GMC Sierra 3500HD.
Essentially a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Silverado, the Sierra is the more expensive and better-equipped luxury version of General Motors’ full-size truck platform. The 3500HD takes things to another level though, as it comes with a tougher chassis and mechanical makeup to ensure it can deal with harder work on a daily basis without crying “enough”.
The “HD”‘ in its name stands for heavy duty, making it clear what this truck is geared towards.
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According to CarEdge, the truck should hold onto 80.3% of its total value during its five years in service, which is nearly 2% better off than the second-placed Tacoma. In money terms, that would mean a base Sierra 3500HD in decent condition and with average mileage should be worth around $38,000 after half a decade of hard work. Considering you’d have had to hand over $47,500 to get one in the first place, it’s not a bad return at all.
Still, Toyota rules the roost, for the most part at least, when it comes to standard passenger vehicles like hatchbacks and SUVs, so get ready to dig deep into your wallet if you want a clean used specimen.
Sources: CarEdge, Toyota.
