Top residual values for cars in 2015

When car shoppers are researching their next car to buy, they are likely comparing things like gas mileage, standard features and safety ratings. One factor that commonly gets overlooked however is resale value. The analytics experts at ALG recently released their 15th annual Residual Value Awards to help car buyers out when making their next big purchase.

Typically, purchasing a car with a higher resale value can be more expensive at first, but you are likely to recoup that money and more when you go to sell the car. Brands like Honda, Toyota and Lexus continue to do very well with resale values though are not necessarily the best in every category.

Toyota has the most awards this year totaling six, with corporate cousin Lexus getting an additional two. Honda and Subaru tie for second with three each, and the rest of the list is filled with automakers with only one or two picks each.

Typically European luxury cars don’t do as well when it comes to resale value, though cars like the Porsche Panamera, MINI Countryman, Range Rover Sport and Audi TT beat out their rivals from Japan and the U.S.

There was only one Korean car on this year’s list, the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan. There were also only three American cars that won awards: the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Transit Connect and Dodge Charger.

While resale value should not be the biggest reason to pick a vehicle, it is something to keep in mind while you are car shopping, especially if you don’t plan on keeping the car for more than five or six years. You can find many of this year’s top picks as certified pre-owned cars at Enterprise Car Sales.