Buyers shopping for a used SUV face a familiar problem: most vehicles lose a painful share of their sticker price within a few years of leaving the lot. But a small group of SUVs has defied that trend. Edmunds, using sales transaction data on used 2023-model-year SUVs, identified eight models across multiple size categories that retained far more of their original value than the broader market. The findings, based on a comparison of average transaction prices against original MSRP, give shoppers a concrete way to measure which SUVs are likely to cost less over a full ownership cycle.
Why resale strength carries real financial weight in 2026
New-vehicle prices have stayed elevated for years, and that pressure has reshaped how buyers think about total cost. A vehicle that holds a larger share of its MSRP after three years returns more money at trade-in or private sale, effectively lowering the net monthly cost of ownership. For anyone financing a purchase, that gap between what they owe and what the vehicle is worth determines whether they carry negative equity into their next deal or walk away with cash in hand.
The Edmunds analysis zeroed in on this dynamic by pulling real-world sales data rather than relying on estimated book values. By comparing what buyers actually paid for used 2023-model-year SUVs against the vehicles’ original window stickers, the study isolated which models hold their ground and which fall off a cliff. The results were then sorted by size category, from subcompact crossovers to full-size three-row haulers, so the rankings reflect competition within each segment rather than across the entire SUV market.
One hypothesis worth testing against these results is whether platform sharing, the practice of spreading parts and engineering across multiple models within a brand family, contributes to stronger retention. Vehicles built on widely used architectures tend to benefit from lower repair costs, broader parts availability, and higher dealer familiarity, all of which can support resale demand. The Edmunds data does not directly measure platform overlap, but several of the brands that consistently appear near the top of resale rankings do share platforms across large portions of their lineups.
How Edmunds measured SUV value retention by size class
The methodology behind the rankings matters because not all depreciation studies measure the same thing. Some rely on wholesale auction prices, which reflect dealer-to-dealer transactions. Others use listing prices, which show what sellers hope to get but not what buyers actually pay. Edmunds built its analysis on used-SUV sales, capturing the prices at which 2023-model-year vehicles actually changed hands. That distinction gives the results a closer connection to real market behavior.
By comparing those transaction prices to the original MSRP of each vehicle, the study produced a retention percentage for every model in the dataset. A higher percentage means the SUV kept more of its value. Edmunds then grouped the results by size category and selected the top performers in each class, producing a final list of eight SUVs that outperformed their segment peers.
This approach rewards models where buyer demand has stayed strong relative to supply. An SUV that was popular when new but flooded the used market with off-lease returns, for example, would see its transaction prices drop even if the vehicle itself is well regarded. The eight models that made the cut managed to avoid that trap, maintaining enough scarcity or desirability, or both, to keep prices firm through their first three years.
The size-category structure also prevents the list from being dominated by a single type of vehicle. A compact crossover and a full-size SUV face very different buyer pools and competitive pressures, so ranking them against each other would obscure more than it reveals. By separating the field, Edmunds gave buyers in each segment a clear benchmark for what strong retention looks like.
What the data does not settle about long-term SUV depreciation
The Edmunds findings answer a specific question: which 2023-model-year SUVs held the most value in recent used-car transactions. But they leave several related questions open. The analysis available through Associated Press coverage does not publish the raw retention percentages or exact transaction prices for each model, which means buyers cannot calculate the precise dollar advantage of choosing one SUV over another. Without that granularity, shoppers must treat the list as a directional guide rather than a precise financial calculator.
The study also does not address what happens beyond the three-year mark. Some vehicles that retain value well early on depreciate sharply once warranty coverage expires or as newer redesigns hit the market. A buyer planning to keep an SUV for five or six years would need additional data to know whether the same models continue to outperform. Maintenance costs, reliability records, and the pace of technology changes can all reshape resale values after the initial ownership window that Edmunds examined.
The platform-sharing hypothesis raised earlier remains untested against this specific dataset. While it is plausible that shared engineering lowers long-term ownership costs and supports resale demand, the Edmunds analysis was not designed to isolate that variable. Wholesale auction data, which tracks dealer purchasing behavior at scale, would offer a better testing ground for that question. If auction prices for platform-shared SUVs consistently outperform single-platform rivals after controlling for brand reputation, equipment levels, and mileage, that would strengthen the case that shared architecture helps protect value.
Another unresolved issue is how macroeconomic forces might have shaped the results. The used-vehicle market has been unusually tight in recent years, with limited supply pushing prices higher across many segments. That environment may have amplified the retention advantage of already-popular SUVs while masking weaknesses in models that benefited from temporary shortages. As production normalizes and more off-lease vehicles return to the market, some of today’s star performers could see their resale edge narrow.
How shoppers can use the findings in real-world decisions
Even with those caveats, the Edmunds rankings offer practical guidance. For shoppers who already know what size SUV they need, the list highlights models that are likely to command stronger prices when it is time to sell or trade. That information can influence how much to put down, how long to finance, and whether to prioritize a slightly higher purchase price in exchange for better resale prospects.
For example, a buyer choosing between two similarly priced compact crossovers might lean toward the model that Edmunds found to have higher retention, knowing that it is more likely to be worth a larger percentage of its MSRP in three years. That could mean less risk of owing more than the vehicle is worth, especially for shoppers who drive higher annual mileages or prefer shorter ownership cycles.
Shoppers who plan to keep an SUV for a decade can still benefit from the data, but they should combine it with other indicators. Early resale strength often correlates with durable brand reputation and steady demand in the used market, traits that can continue to matter even as a vehicle ages. At the same time, long-term owners should weigh fuel costs, insurance, repair histories, and comfort features that affect everyday livability but do not always show up in three-year retention statistics.
It is also worth remembering that resale value is only one piece of the financial puzzle. A high-retention SUV that costs significantly more to buy, fuel, or insure may not deliver a lower total cost of ownership than a cheaper rival that depreciates more quickly. Running the numbers-including estimated trade-in value at the end of the planned ownership period-can reveal whether the resale advantage is large enough to offset higher upfront and operating costs.
Reading the used-SUV market beyond a single ranking
The Edmunds study underscores how powerful real transaction data can be in cutting through assumptions about which vehicles “hold their value.” It also highlights the limits of any single snapshot. Resale performance is shaped by model cycles, economic conditions, fuel prices, and shifting consumer tastes, all of which can change in ways that favor different types of SUVs over time.
For buyers, the most practical approach is to treat the eight high-retention models as a short list of candidates rather than a definitive answer. From there, test drives, independent reliability research, and a close look at local pricing can refine the decision. In a market where every dollar of depreciation matters, using data-backed rankings as a starting point-while staying alert to their blind spots-offers a pragmatic path to a used SUV that protects both your budget and your daily comfort.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
