Which new Toyota Corolla Quest trim holds its value better?

Resale value is a traditional Corolla strong suit, so it will be interesting to see if the (slightly) de-contented Quest follows this trend. To find out, we rounded up the selection of 2020-model (current-generation) Quests listed on AutoTrader, and compared their averaged current values to what they cost when new, to determine the percentage of retained value. 

Seeing as we’re looking at initial (short-term from new) depreciation, we’ve placed a mileage cap of 20 000 km on these 2020-model cars. This corresponds with the upper range of industry-average yearly mileages, and should discount many of the high-mileage fleet vehicles already circulating in the marketplace. Prices were accurate at the time of writing, but may change without prior notice.

Related: Get all the details about the 2020 Toyota Corolla Quest range in this launch report.

 

2020 Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 (manual)

New Price: R 265 200

Current Price: R 246 570

Value retained: 92.97 %

This is the entry point to the current Quest range, and is appointed with an eye on the Quest’s target market: fleet sales. As such, it’s quite low on creature comforts (compared to its siblings), rolls on plain steel wheels, and carries the plainest exterior styling. That doesn’t affect its depreciation, though: even with 64 examples listed here on AutoTrader, this derivative still retained almost 93% of its new-car value.

 

2020 Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 (automatic)

New Price: R 284 200

Current Price: R 262 725

Value Retained: 92.4 %

Combining the entry-level spec with a CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission), this is the basic Quest that will be best suited to city use. It also puts up a decent showing in the initial depreciation stakes, retaining 92.4% of its original value after a year of use. 

 

2020 Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 Prestige (manual)

New Price: R 301 200

Current Price: R 273 912

Value Retained: 90.9 %

The mid-level Quest puts up a slightly less-impressive showing in the depreciation stakes than its stable mates, but its value retention of almost 91% is still highly respectable in itself. Simply gauging the volumes listed on site, we also notice that there are far fewer Prestige trim examples than there are base cars.

 

2020 Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 Prestige (automatic)

New Price: R 312 000

Current Price: R 296 075

Value Retained: 94.9 %

Keeping almost 95% of its initial value after a year, the automatic mid-trim Quest posts very low initial depreciation, but the used selection is far smaller (about 20% as many as for the entry-level automatic). That makes it clear that this trim level is clearly not aimed at the fleet market.

 

2020 Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 Exclusive (manual)

New Price: R 323 100

Current Price: R 307 769

Value Retained: 95.3 %

Moving to the top-level trim sees value retention taking another step upwards, entirely in line with the theory that used-car buyers prefer high-trim variants of budget-focused offerings. The manual Quest Exclusive retains 95.3% of its new value, making it a very good choice for buyers who want to get as much of their money back as they possibly could.

 

2020 Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 Exclusive (automatic)

New Price: R 333 900

Current Price: R 310 763

Value Retained: 93.1 %

Mirroring the performance of the other Quests, the top-trim automatic also shows strong resistance to initial depreciation. With value retention of 93.1% after a year, the Quest Exclusive auto falls about midway within its range, but limited second-hand availability means that, as with the Prestige trim, they may not be quite as easy to find as their entry-level counterparts.

Related: Even in high-level “Exclusive” trim, the Corolla Quest offers a solid value proposition. Read our review here.

 

Verdict

Strong initial value retention results actually makes used, one-year-old Corolla Quests rather less attractive to many buyers than new ones. Because they retain so much of their value, there are no real nearly-new bargains to be found in this range at the moment – unless those buyers are prepared to put up with much higher mileages (and settle for the “Uber-spec” entry-level trim).

This sentiment will count in new-car (and fleet) buyers’ favour, however – the chances are that their cars will likely still be worth more than its settlement value after a few years, with the slow depreciation resulting in a net gain in comparison to its opponents. For those who still want a used Quest instead of a new one, the Prestige manual will offer the best value for money in the pre-owned market, although even that trim is hardly a used-car bargain.

Related: Is the 2020 Toyota Corolla Quest good for families?

 

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Shop for new and used Toyota Corolla Quest cars for sale here.