Tesla vehicles are now among the fastest-depreciating in the UK, losing an average of 45% of their value within three years, according to the latest update of Carmoola’s Car Depreciation Index.
The digital car finance platform, working with valuation specialists Brego, analysed over 40 million vehicle sales to identify the brands and models with the steepest value losses over a typical three-year or 36,000-mile ownership period.
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Tesla’s depreciation rate places it fourth among the worst-performing manufacturers, behind only DS (53%), Polestar (49.6%), and Mitsubishi (45.7%). The brand has dropped significantly since the last iteration of the index in December 2024, where it ranked eighth.
Carmoola founder and CEO Aidan Rushby said the figures show that “even the most iconic brands can face significant challenges with value retention”. He added that depreciation is influenced by multiple factors, including brand perception and market dynamics.
Survey data collected by Carmoola and Censuswide suggest shifting consumer sentiment may be contributing to Tesla’s performance. In a poll of 2,000 UK adults conducted in February 2025, 70% of respondents said they were put off owning a Tesla due to Elon Musk, while 73% of current Tesla drivers said they felt “ashamed” to be seen in their cars. Nearly half (45%) were actively looking to sell, and 22% of those planning to keep their cars said they would not buy another Tesla.
The findings reflect wider challenges faced by electric vehicles (EVs) in retaining value. The December 2024 index found that the Renault ZOE and Nissan Leaf had the sharpest losses among individual models, depreciating by 67.4% and 64.6%, respectively over three years.
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By GlobalDataBy contrast, Porsche was identified as the top-performing brand, retaining 75.9% of its value over the same period.
