MORE AT KIPLINGER.COM
Resale values come from a complex set of calculations based in part on historical data and economic predictions, as well as competition in each automotive segment, how appealing a car's brand is, and supply (including fleet sales and leases) versus demand.
To win Best Resale plaudits, the model must first be selected as one of our top 25 vehicles in its category. From that group, we pick the vehicle with the highest three-year resale value. A model is not eligible for the award if another trim level of the same model has won Best Resale in a lower-price category.
Cars Under $20,000: Ford Focus S Resale value: 3-year: 62%; 5-year: 45%
Sticker price: $16,995 (manual sedan)
Invoice price: $16,064
TrueCar national average price: $16,672
MPG: City: 26; Hwy: 36
In addition to nabbing the highest resale value in its class, the Focus walks away with Best in Class honors just one year after its 2012 redesign. It's an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, too.
Cars $20,000-$25,000: Mini Cooper Hardtop S Resale value: 3-year: 68%; 5-year: 53%
Sticker price: $24,000 (manual)
Invoice price: $21,670
TrueCar national average price: $23,094
MPG: City: 26; Hwy: 35
The original Mini Cooper ties with the Mini Cooper Coupe for the top resale value of any vehicle in our rankings. The Cooper Hardtop S has go-kart-like driving dynamics and a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that produces 181 horses (which allows the car to zip from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds), but it still gets 35 miles per gallon on the highway.
Cars $25,000-$30,000: Mini Cooper Coupe S Resale value: 3-year: 68%; 5-year: 53%
Sticker price: $25,450 (manual)
Invoice price: $22,975
TrueCar national average price: $24,500
MPG: City: 26; Hwy: 35
Mini's outside-the-box styling routinely defies expectations. The Mini Cooper Coupe, introduced last year, shares the body of the Cooper Hardtop -- but adds a sloped, sporty roofline. In John Cooper Works trim, the two-seater Coupe gets from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds.
Cars $30,000-$40,000: Volvo S60 T5 Resale value: 3-year: 61%; 5-year: 43%
Sticker price: $32,795
Invoice price: $30,881
TrueCar national average price: $30,884
MPG: City: 21; Hwy: 30
Volvo's S60 adds high resale values to its reputation for stellar safety, and this year IIHS named it a Top Safety Pick+ (a new designation that means it did well in the new small overlap test; only midsize models were tested). The 2013 model year brings more advanced technology with standard Tunnel Detection, a feature that automatically turns on your headlights when you enter a tunnel.
Cars $40,000-$50,000: Infiniti G37 Journey Resale value: 3-year: 62%; 5-year: 45%
Sticker price: $41,195
Invoice price: $38,223
TrueCar national average price: $38,096
MPG: City: 19; Hwy: 27
Every member of Infiniti's G series is fun to drive -- with a sporty suspension and plenty of power -- but the model that's tops for trading in is the base level G37 coupe.
Cars $50,000 and Over: Audi A7 3.0 Premium Plus Resale value: 3-year: 58%; 5-year: 41%
Sticker price: $64,695
Invoice price: $60,231
TrueCar national average price: $62,424
MPG: City: 18; Hwy: 28
The hatchback version of the A6 tops the luxury charts for resale value for the second year in a row. Though it shares powertrains with its sibling, the A7 has the edge in cargo space -- it claims 11 cubic feet more, for a total of 25.
