2014 Best Retained Value^® Awards

Edmunds.com's Best Retained Value® Awards are part of our continuing efforts to highlight vehicle value for consumers. The awards recognize the brands and models that have the highest projected private party residual value five years after their launch, expressed as a percentage of their average True Market Value® (TMV®) during their first five months in the market (or, for vehicles introduced in November or December of 2013, through March 2014) . We assume 15,000 miles driven per year. These awards are based on each carmaker's 2014 models that launched prior to the end of 2013.

A reliable assessment of a vehicle's resale value can be a critical piece of information for car buyers. Smart car shoppers will choose a car with high retained value so they can maximize its worth at trade-in or sale. And for consumers who lease, selecting a car with strong resale value is just as important: Resale value is a key factor in determining the monthly lease payment.

Honda and Acura took home the top prizes this year. Honda won in the non-luxury division with a projected 50.1 percent residual value, and Acura won the luxury crown with a projected residual value of 45.4 percent. In addition, Edmunds named Best Retained Value® Award winners in 27 model-level categories.

All model-year 2014 vehicles that were launched by the end of 2013 and had unit sales in February 2014 that were at least 20 percent of the average unit sales for the models in its segment were eligible for this year's model-level Best Retained Value® Awards. Edmunds determined each model's segment based on its body type, the size of the vehicle within its body type segment, and the model's competitive luxury/non-luxury class

All brands with more than 100,000 unit sales in 2013 and models competing within at least four vehicle type categories were eligible for this year's brand-level Best Retained Value® Awards.