Cars That Hold Their Value Best in 2026
The 2026 vehicles that lose the least value over five years, ranked by the share of sticker price they retain. Depreciation is the biggest cost of owning a new car — bigger than fuel, insurance, or maintenance — and it is the one buyers most often leave out of the sums. Two cars with the same monthly payment can differ by many thousands in what they are worth when you sell. We rank by percentage retained rather than dollars lost, because dollars lost simply tracks how expensive the car was to begin with.
Key numbers
- The 2026 Toyota Tacoma leads MotiveGrid's Holds Value Best ranking for 2026 at 78%.
- Across all 12 ranked vehicles, value kept, 5 yr spans 78% to 67%.
- As-ranked 2026 trims run from $26,375 to $63,695 MSRP.
- The lowest 5-year cost of ownership on this list is $33,787 for the 2026 Toyota Corolla — about $563 a month.
How value retention is measured
- Retention is the share of original MSRP a model is still worth after five years — 62% means it kept 62 cents on the dollar.
- Figures come from published model-level resale data, not our own estimate; depreciation is never modeled or inferred.
- Ranked by percentage retained, so a $30,000 car and a $90,000 car are judged on the same basis.
- Shown at the representative mid-range trim, the configuration most buyers actually purchase.
- Retention reflects the used market as it stands today; incentives, fuel prices, and a model redesign can all move it.
Top pick: the 2026 Toyota Tacoma (Value kept, 5 yr 78%). Below, the full ranking from 1 to 12.
- MSRP$40,3155-yr cost$47,70178%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Powertrain; trails on Livability.
- MSRP$50,4905-yr cost$56,21375%Value kept, 5 yr
Strong for its class on Cost of Ownership and Powertrain; trails on Safety.
- MSRP$63,6955-yr cost$66,92874%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Cost of Ownership; strong on Driver Assistance; trails on Livability.
- MSRP$36,1005-yr cost$40,52673%Value kept, 5 yr
Strong for its class on Cost of Ownership and Powertrain.
- MSRP$37,0005-yr cost$47,58972%Value kept, 5 yr
Balanced across all five pillars, with no standout gap in its class.
- MSRP$26,6955-yr cost$35,59771%Value kept, 5 yr
Strong for its class on Cost of Ownership and Livability; trails on Powertrain.
- MSRP$35,6305-yr cost$39,49071%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Cost of Ownership; strong on Livability.
- MSRP$45,3055-yr cost$54,99871%Value kept, 5 yr
Strong for its class on Cost of Ownership and Livability; trails on Safety.
- 2026 Toyota Grand HighlanderXLE Hybrid · HybridMSRP$45,6105-yr cost$47,12470%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Cost of Ownership and Powertrain.
- MSRP$28,3005-yr cost$39,12269%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Cost of Ownership; strong on Livability.
- MSRP$26,3755-yr cost$33,78767%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Cost of Ownership; strong on Livability.
- MSRP$57,7305-yr cost$64,21767%Value kept, 5 yr
Leads its class on Powertrain; trails on Driver Assistance.
Ranked by value kept, 5 yr, with the MotiveGrid composite score (five pillars, safety weighted heaviest) breaking ties. Each pick is the model’s representative mid-range trim. How we score →
Analysis by the MotiveGrid Engineering Team · scores updated 2026-07-25