Best Resale Value Compact Cars for 2026
The best resale value compact cars are determined based on analyzing over 3 million vehicles to calculate how much each compact car model depreciates after 5 years.
The Honda Civic has the best resale value among compact cars. The Civic retains 77.3 percent of its value after 5 years, with an average price of $19,863 for 5-year-old models. The Civic's resale value puts it 10.3 percent above the resale value average for compact cars, which is 66.9 percent.
The Honda Civic (hatchback) ranks #2 for best resale value for compact cars. The Civic retains 76.8 percent of its value after 5 years, with an average price of $24,497 for 5-year-old models. The Civic's resale value is 9.9 percent higher than the resale value average for compact cars.
The Toyota Corolla Hatchback is the #3 ranked compact car with the best resale value. The Corolla Hatchback's resale value is 74.3 percent after 5 years with the average price for a 5-year old Corolla Hatchback being $19,955. Its resale value is 7.4 percent more than the average resale value for a compact car.
The Honda Civic has the best resale value among compact cars. The Civic retains 77.3 percent of its value after 5 years, with an average price of $19,863 for 5-year-old models. The Civic's resale value puts it 10.3 percent above the resale value average for compact cars, which is 66.9 percent.
The Honda Civic (hatchback) ranks #2 for best resale value for compact cars. The Civic retains 76.8 percent of its value after 5 years, with an average price of $24,497 for 5-year-old models. The Civic's resale value is 9.9 percent higher than the resale value average for compact cars.
The Toyota Corolla Hatchback is the #3 ranked compact car with the best resale value. The Corolla Hatchback's resale value is 74.3 percent after 5 years with the average price for a 5-year old Corolla Hatchback being $19,955. Its resale value is 7.4 percent more than the average resale value for a compact car.
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5-yr resale value
77.3%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $19,863
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.7
/ 10
-
Value Retention
9.1
/ 10
-
Safety
9.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
76.8%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $24,497
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.9
/ 10
-
Value Retention
9.1
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
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5-yr resale value
74.3%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $19,955
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.9
/ 10
-
Safety
8.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
72.6%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $17,629
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.4
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.8
/ 10
-
Safety
9.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
72%
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
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Value Retention
8.8
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
6. Hyundai VELOSTER
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5-yr resale value
70.9%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $17,324
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
6.9
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.7
/ 10
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Safety
8.0
/ 10
7. Subaru Impreza
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5-yr resale value
70.5%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $18,514
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.3
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.7
/ 10
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Safety
8.0
/ 10
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5-yr resale value
70.2%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $27,648
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.2
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.7
/ 10
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Safety
9.0
/ 10
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5-yr resale value
66.7%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $16,183
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
6.8
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.5
/ 10
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Safety
8.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
66%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $18,579
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.7
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.4
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.2
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.4
/ 10
-
Safety
7.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
64.7%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $20,972
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.9
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
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Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
64.1%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $16,613
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.6
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
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Safety
8.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
63%
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
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Value Retention
8.2
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
-
5-yr resale value
62.9%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $16,436
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.0
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.2
/ 10
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Safety
10
/ 10
17. Volkswagen Golf
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5-yr resale value
61.7%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $17,760
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
9.0
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.1
/ 10
-
Safety
8.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
61.3%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $20,771
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.1
/ 10
-
Safety
8.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
61.2%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $23,465
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.5
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.1
/ 10
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Safety
8.0
/ 10
-
5-yr resale value
60.9%
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.1
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
21. Mitsubishi Mirage G4
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5-yr resale value
59%
- Avg 5-yr old price: $11,276
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.0
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
Related Rankings
How We Rank These Cars
iSeeCars analyzed over 3 million vehicles to calculate the resale value for each model after 5 years. The resale value for a given model is based on the difference between the new car MSRP and the equivalent 5 year-old used car price for the model.
Vehicles within a given category are sorted to show the models with the best resale values first. If two cars have the same resale values, then we break the tie by seeing which vehicle has the higher overall iSeeCars Score. Along with resale value, we show comprehensive iSeeCars ratings for each model, because we believe multiple factors should be taken into account when buyers are seeking the best overall vehicle. Two of these additional factors are reliability and safety, both of which are included in our ratings system.
The overall iSeeCars Score is an analysis of these three key factors: reliability, resale value and safety. It is calculated based on the latest research and analysis by our data science team. The data analysis comes from over 12 million new and used vehicles in our Longest-Lasting Cars and 5-Year Depreciation Studies, combined with NHTSA and IIHS Safety Ratings.
Vehicles are scored in three categories:
Reliability
The reliability score represents an analysis of iSeeCars' proprietary research on the longest-lasting vehicles.
Value Retention
The value retention score is based on our data science team's statistical analysis and prediction of 5-year depreciation from MSRP to determine which cars hold their value best, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to adjust for inflation.
Safety
The safety score is calculated based on the last five years of crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and incorporates the latest Top Safety Pick information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).