Which Kia Sorento trim holds its value better?
Even though it already received a number of international accolades, the latest Kia Sorento is still to arrive on local shores. In the meantime, the outgoing model is still a very appealing proposition, and there’s a strong possibility of some great deals on the older model in its run-out phase. Which one should you buy if value retention is of great importance? We studied the numbers to find out.
After its last facelift at the end of 2018, the Kia Sorento has been left mostly untouched for the remainder of its lifecycle. During that revision, the range was consolidated, the drivetrain was upgraded, and its in-car technology received a significant boost. The oldest of those cars (2019-models) are not even halfway through their warranties yet, and make for great-value used-car buying.
To determine which Kia Sorento trim holds its value better, we rounded up the 2019- and 2020-model Sorentos listed on AutoTrader, and compared their averaged current market values to what they cost when new. We’ve placed a mileage cap of 20 000 km per year on them, giving us a maximum mileage of 40 000 km for 2019-vintage cars (the first full post-facelift model year) and 20 000 km for 2020-model year cars.
This corresponds with the upper range of industry-average yearly mileages, and should discount any high-mileage fleet vehicles. Using their new-car pricetags as reference points, we determined the various trim levels’ value retention percentages after one year (and after two years, where applicable).
Related: Shop for new and used Kia Sorento cars for sale here.
2019 Kia Sorento 2.2CRDi LX
New Price: R 599 995
Current Market Value: R 484 948
Value Retained: 80.8%
The entry-level model of the final range retains 80.8% of its new value after two years, which means that it’s an excellent used-car buy. There should still be at least 3 years of the vehicle warranty left over, along with 5 years of the drivetrain warranty and 3 years (or 60 000 km) on the service plan – all for almost R 200 000 less than a new Sorento LX would cost you today.
2019 Kia Sorento 2.2CRDi AWD LX
New Price: R 639 995
Current Market Value: R 487 425
Value Retained: 76.2%
Add all-wheel drive to the LX formula, and prepare for even greater bargains. The 2019 Sorento AWD LX loses value even quicker than the FWD variant, and retains only 76.2% of its new value after two years. In fact, the average price of a 2019 Sorento AWD LX is only about R 2 500 higher than that of a FWD example, which is a nice bonus if you’re considering traveling on gravel roads or snow...
2020 Kia Sorento 2.2CRDi EX
New Price: R 695 995
Current Market Value: R 558 975
Value Retained: 80.3%
The current average value year-old, high-trim Sorento EX (FWD) is only 80.3% of what it cost when new. That’s a R 137 020 value drop for a year-old car, or R 151 020 less than a new Sorento EX would cost you today.
2020 Kia Sorento 2.2CRDi AWD EX
New Price: R 735 995
Current Market Value: R 640 145
Value Retained: 87.0%
This is a surprisingly strong showing from the range-topping Sorento, given the performance of its siblings. One-year-old Sorento AWD EXs still retain 87% of their new-car value, making this the trim level which holds its value the best. But, with that said, a year-old, low-mileage top-trim Sorento still represents a saving of almost R 110 000 compared to what a new one would cost right now. That’s definitely a saving worth mentioning!
* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without any prior notice.
Verdict
If you’re planning to buy a new Kia Sorento before the new one comes along, the best buy (from a depreciation point of view) would be the range-topping EX AWD trim level, because it will hold the most of its value in the short-to-medium term. However, if you’re happy to buy a used Sorento, a one-year-old EX FWD represents the best value for money.
It has the longest remaining warranty and service plan, but can be had for almost R 140 000 less than a new entry-level LX. And, for the serious bargain hunters, that 2019 LX AWD looks extremely appealing...
