Which Audi A1 trim holds its value better?
We’ve noticed that premium-brand cars often lose a lot of their value within the first year. So, seeing as the latest Audi A1 was released in South Africa halfway through 2019, we grabbed the opportunity to see which one of its trim levels holds its value better.
Leaving its origin as a toy-like city car in the rear-view mirror, the latest Audi A1 is a grown-up premium car wrapped in a compact shell. But how does its new-found maturity (and much higher pricetag) affect the resale value of the Audi A1 range? We compared the different trim levels on offer, to see which one best holds depreciation at bay.
We searched AutoTrader for used, 2019-model (current-generation) Audi A1s, and compared their averaged current prices to what they cost when new. We also calculated the percentage of their value they retained over the short term, to get an indication of this range’s initial depreciation.
Keep in mind that, in classic German style, there are a host of options and equipment packages to consider, which will obviously affect their resale values. However, this usually makes for good used-car shopping, as you might be able to find a car with a selection of desirable added-cost features without paying anywhere near as much as these options cost the first owner.
Related: The Supermini grows up – we review the Audi A1 Sportback 40 TFSI.
2019 Audi A1 Sportback 30 TFSI S-Tronic
New Price: R 359 900
This is the entry-level engine in the new A1’s launch range, and is available in three trim levels. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a single 2019-model A1 with this powertrain listed on AutoTrader at the time of writing, so it’s impossible to say how well they retain their value. However, including 2020 examples in our search showed more than 60 examples in our listing pages, indicating that this engine is growing in popularity as time passes.
Their pricetags vary between R 377 300 and R 511 920, depending on their options and trim levels. It is interesting to note that there are many new or nearly-new, base-trim and option-free A1 30 TFSI examples listed for more than R 50 000 less than their current list price, giving very good value for those buyers who aren’t too particular about ordering their own colour-, upholstery- and optional extras.
Related: We highlight the top 6 differences between a new- and an old Audi A1.
2019 Audi A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S-Tronic
New Price: R 429 900
Average Current Price: R 401 498
Value Retained: 93.4%
The least-expensive A1 35 TFSI derivative isn’t exactly abundant in our listings, either. However, such frill-free A1s nonetheless retain a commendable 93.4% of their new value after a year, even with at most 20 000 km on their odos (although most haven’t even ticked over into 5-figure territory yet). These prices represent a significant saving when compared to this variant’s new-car price, which ran very close to the R 500 000 mark at the time of writing.
2019 Audi A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S-Tronic Advanced
New Price: R 433 900
Average Current Price: R 414 422
Value Retained: 95.5%
The mid-level A1 35 TFSI Advanced puts in an even more-impressive showing, by retaining a solid 95.5% of its new value – once again, proving that premium-car buyers do prefer their cars to come from higher up the pecking order.
2019 Audi A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S-Tronic S line
New Price: R 458 900
Average Current Price: R 464 190
Value Retained: 101.2%
Following the example set by the 35 TFSI Advanced, the top-trim S line variants listed on AutoTrader actually fetch more than their new-car value in the used market. However, these figures are a bit deceiving: most of the cars in our listings are loaded with optional extras (which bump up their value), and those that aren’t also retail at 95-ish percent of their new-car value.
2019 Audi A1 Sportback 40 TFSI S-Tronic S line
New Price: R 488 000
Average Current Price: R 505 195
Value Retained: 103.5%
There are two reasons not to take the A1 40 TFSI’s calculated average value retention too seriously. Firstly, there were only two examples listed on AutoTrader at the time of writing, which means that the sample size is too small to be statistically relevant. Secondly, both of these cars are fitted with a bunch of optional extras, which inflates their perceived resale value quite markedly. However, this average used value still makes for comparatively bargain-priced shopping, by offering a discount of almost 10% in comparison to a brand-new A1 40 TFSI.
Related: We loved the power and refinement of the new Audi A1 40 TFSI, but the cost of admission is rather steep...
Which one depreciates the fastest?
As we’ve noticed with various other Audi models, the lower-trim derivatives in the new A1 range lose their value rather quicker than their high-spec counterparts. This makes the entry-level A1 variants the best used buys in their range, although their value advantage is quite slim. However, even with this impressive value retention, nearly-new Audi A1s still represent a significant saving over ordering a new one, as the current range is a lot more expensive than it was a year ago.