Which Toyota RAV4 trim depreciates the fastest?
With the fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 comfortably in its stride after almost two years of local availability, the time has come to see which trim depreciates the fastest. Will this family SUV’s high(ish) purchase price pay dividends on the used-car market?
Based on Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, the latest RAV4 represents notable improvements on its predecessor’s blend of virtues: it’s nicer to drive, more economical, better-equipped, and more practical. But how strong is this model’s resistance to depreciation? We ran the numbers to find out which Toyota RAV4 depreciates the fastest.
Checking out the listing pages here on AutoTrader, we narrowed-down our selection to new-generation, 2019 model year RAV4s with less than 40 000 km on the clock (representing the industry average yearly mileage’s upper limits), and compared their averaged values in the used-car market to what they cost new. Value retention is expressed as a percentage of the new values, and the lowest percentage will correspond to the fastest depreciation.
Related: Get all the details about the latest Toyota RAV4 range in this launch review.
2019 Toyota RAV4 2.0 GX MT 2WD
New value: R 436 200
Current value: R 366 970
Value retained: 84.1 %
This isn’t a great showing for the entry-level RAV4, but its 84.1% value retention does make the 2019 RAV4 2.0 GX MT 2WD an attractive second-hand option. There will be at least a year of the new-car warranty and maybe 3 pre-paid services left over on these cars, with used examples being almost R 100 000 less-expensive than a new one, today.
2019 Toyota RAV4 2.0 GX CVT 2WD
New value: R 447 800
Current value: R 382 601
Value retained: 85.4 %
The cheapest automatic RAV4 performs slightly better than its manual counterpart in the depreciation stakes, but not by much. Its 85.4% value retention after two years means that it offers nearly the same great used-car value as the manual GX, and these used GX automatics likewise represent an average saving of R 94 000 over a new one.
Related: Is the Toyota RAV4 good for families?
2019 Toyota RAV4 2.0 VX CVT 2WD
New value: R 528 800
Current value: R 459 950
Value retained: 86.98 %
As we move up the used RAV4 model range, their depreciation slows down a little. High-spec VX trim can only be matched to front-wheel drive and a CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission) if the buyer prefers a 2.0-litre engine, but still represents good used-car value with almost 87% value retention. As with the other 2.0-litre variants, there’s a price difference of almost R 100 000 between a new- and a two-year-old RAV4 2.0 VX, which some buyers may consider a fair penalty for a slightly-used warranty and service plan.
2019 Toyota RAV4 2.0 GX-R AWD (CVT)
New value: R 531 600
Current value: R 459 219
Value retained: 86.4 %
Along with all-wheel drive, the GX-R trim combines slightly flashier styling and decorations with the base 2.0-litre engine and a CVT. Like the plusher 2.0 VX auto (FWD), the 2.0 GX-R AWD retains slightly more of its value than the basic 2.0 GX can manage, and 2019 examples offer even better good used-car shopping, with a value retention of 86.4% after two years. That’s a discount of more than R 100 000 in comparison to a new one...
Related: An old favourite benefits from modern advances – we review the Toyota 2020 RAV4 2.0 GX-R.
2019 Toyota RAV4 2.5 VX AWD (auto)
New value: R 604 100
Current value: R 517 445
Value retained: 85.7 %
Loaded with every bell and whistle, the top-spec RAV4 2.5 VX AWD packs the most power in the range, and is the only one to feature an 8-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Its value retention of 85.7% is a bit worse than that of the 2.0 VX FWD, making the top-trim RAV4 an even better used-car buy – a two-year-old one should cost you almost R 126 000 less than a new example.
Related: We reviewed the 2020 Toyota RAV4 2.5 GX AWD, and found much to like. That pricetag, though...
Verdict
In terms of percentages, the RAV4 range performs remarkably consistently regarding resale values: the worst depreciator has increased value loss of only 3% over the slowest depreciator. And, because we’re talking about quite steep initial sales prices, those percentages translate to big used-car savings across the entire range, compared to what a new one would cost today.
Given this data, it’s clear that the basic RAV4 GX FWD with a manual gearbox depreciates the fastest, making this trim level the best used buy in the current marketplace. The one to get if you want to retain the most resale value over two years? That would be the 2.0 VX FWD, followed closely by its de-specced 2.0 GX CVT sibling.
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Shop for new and used Toyota RAV4 cars for sale here.