Car Depreciation by Brand in Germany: Which Hold Value Best

Depreciation is usually the largest cost you face when buying a car in Germany, and it gets the least attention before signing the contract. This guide unpacks the 2025 Wertmeister results from Schwacke and Auto Bild — the best-known residual value benchmark for the German market — and adds the DAT residual data for 2026. Audi took three titles. Mercedes-Benz scored two. Mini scored two. Each pattern matters for how you choose your next vehicle, and for whether buying makes more sense than leasing.

The numbers below come from Auto Bild, Schwacke, DAT and the German trade press, with publication dates from September 2025 onward. The Wertmeister 2026 winners were announced on 15 October 2026; we note them where relevant.

Why does the brand on your car shape its depreciation curve?

Two numbers frame the powertrain question. According to DAT, a three-year-old battery-electric car in Germany has an average residual value of about 49 to 52 percent of its list price, against about 58 to 59 percent for petrol and 56 to 58 percent for diesel. In other words a BEV loses roughly 48 to 51 percent in three years, a petrol car about 41 percent. In August 2026 DAT put petrol at 59.4 percent and diesel at 58 percent, while BEV residuals had risen by 1.4 percentage points between May and August 2026 and combustion residuals had slipped (by 0.4 and 1.1 points).

Brand identity layers on top of powertrain. In the Wertmeister 2025 sports-car class, the Porsche 911 won with a forecast residual of 63.0 percent after 36 months and 60,000 km. Same-segment cars can differ dramatically, driven by reputation, model cadence and how often the manufacturer cuts new car prices.

Mass-market and luxury brands also behave differently in percentage and in euros. The Wertmeister results show both views: a cheap model can keep a higher share of its price, while an expensive one can lose far more money in absolute terms. Both metrics deserve attention, depending on how you finance the purchase.

How does the Wertmeister award rank residual values?

Wertmeister 2025, presented at IAA Mobility in Munich in September 2025, is the joint award by Schwacke and Auto Bild. According to Auto Bild, several tens of thousands of model variants were analysed (the top and bottom 10 percent by power and price are excluded) and divided across eleven classes: three dedicated electric classes and eight open classes where models compete regardless of powertrain. The forecast is the Schwacke projection of Händler-EK-Werte — German dealer purchase prices — for each variant after a defined period.

Eleven titles were awarded in 2025. Audi was the standout, taking three: the A3 Sportback in the compact class and a double win for the A6 Avant e-tron in the open upper class and the electric compact-to-upper class. It was the first time a battery-electric model won the open upper class against diesel and petrol rivals. Mercedes-Benz and Mini each claimed two titles. The remaining winners were the Porsche 911, Dacia Duster, Volvo EX90 and Citroën Berlingo.

Which car brands won the 2025 Wertmeister titles?

The category-level results map onto brand-level patterns. Audi won in the compact, upper-class and electric upper-class categories. Mini took the smaller end of the table with the Cooper winning open small cars and the Aceman winning electric small cars. Mercedes added wins in the mid-size class (CLE) and the mid-to-upper SUV class (G-Klasse). Dacia held the compact SUV crown with the Duster, and Porsche won sports cars with the 911.

Source: Schwacke and Auto Bild Wertmeister 2025, presented at IAA Mobility Munich, September 2025 (autobild.de/artikel/wertmeister-2025-28302977.html, 6 October 2025).

Notable absences from the 2025 winners list: BMW as a brand (Mini is BMW-owned but separate), Volkswagen and Tesla. The BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class came second and third in the upper class, behind the Audi A6 e-tron. The G-Klasse’s 67.6 percent is the highest figure of the eleven.

For 2026, BMW announced on 15 October 2026 that the iX3 (electric SUV), the 4 Series (mid-size) and the 5 Series (upper class) won their classes, and that the Mini Aceman again won the small electric class. That is from BMW's press release; we have not independently confirmed it.

Mass market vs luxury: which actually holds value better?

There are two ways to read the rankings, and they tell different stories. Look at percentage retention, and a Dacia Duster at 60.6 percent beats a Mercedes CLE at 55.0 percent. As an illustrative example with round prices: a Duster at €18,500 and a CLE at €58,000 would lose about €7,300 and €26,000 respectively over three years. The Mercedes owner loses more money. The Dacia owner gives up a smaller share of what they paid.

Which metric matters depends on how you bought the car. If you financed the purchase with a balloon loan or signed a lease with a guaranteed buy-back, the percentage matters more — that drives your monthly rate. If you paid cash and want to know what you can sell for in three years, the absolute Restwert in euros is what shows up on your bank statement. Most buyers conflate the two.

The Wertmeister data shows that pricing matters as much as the badge: the Duster and the G-Klasse sit at opposite ends of the price scale and both appear at the top of their classes.

What the Audi A6 e-tron luxury win means

Here is what makes the 2025 results unusual. For the first time, a battery-electric model won the open upper class against diesel and petrol competitors. The Audi A6 Avant e-tron (51.7 percent) beat the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class on projected residual value over 36 months. Thorsten Barg, Schwacke managing director, framed it as a signal that electric mobility is arriving on the used-car market.

One caveat: the figures are Schwacke projections, not measured resale prices, and the A6 e-tron only reached the market in autumn 2024. The result is a forecast of how the first cars will be valued after three years.

What about Tesla, and why does US data not apply?

Tesla registrations in Germany fell 48.4 percent in 2025 to 19,390 units (2024: 37,476), according to the KBA data. We have no verified residual-value figure for Tesla in Germany, so we do not quote one; check the model you are considering against Schwacke or DAT data.

One caution applies to all foreign residual data: US sources assume different incentives, different used-car buyers and different fuel economics, and those numbers do not transfer. Buying a car in Germany means buying into Kfz-Steuer rules, Vollkasko classes, the HU/TÜV inspection cycle (3-2-2 years for new cars) and the EU emissions framework. Stick to German data sources for German purchases.

Where the residual data gets thin — and where to be careful

The Wertmeister methodology needs a track record of used-market data to produce reliable Restwert forecasts. No Chinese brand appears among the 2025 winners. Brands that entered the German market only recently have little resale history in the 36-month window: BYD has sold passenger cars in Germany since 2023, while MG has been here since 2018 (the MG ZS EV from 2019).

The same caution applies to newer BEV models with only one or two model years of resale data. Restwert forecasts for these are extrapolations, not measurements. If you are buying a recent EV with a finance product anchored to a residual percentage, ask the dealer how that number was derived.

Also remember what the percentage is measured against. The Wertmeister percentage is the forecast dealer purchase price relative to the list price. If you buy a car at a large discount, your percentage loss on what you actually paid will differ from the published figure.

What does the depreciation picture mean for buy vs lease in 2026?

The DAT figures show a gap between electric and combustion cars that is narrowing: in the three months to August 2026, BEV residual values rose by 1.4 percentage points, while petrol and diesel residuals slipped. For a lease or a financing deal with a residual-value guarantee, that is the number the lessor prices.

For companies there is a tax factor. The federal Investitionsbooster (law promulgated 18 July 2025) allows a degressive write-off of 75 percent in the year of acquisition for purely electric vehicles bought between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2027, followed by 10, 5, 5, 3 and 2 percent in the following years. It is a fixed staggered write-off, not a special depreciation (Sonderabschreibung).

Whether leasing or buying is better for you depends on your circumstances; compare the residual value assumed in any offer with the Wertmeister and DAT figures above. Our financing guide explains Autokredit, leasing and Ballonfinanzierung.

Which iconic models hold their value better than the rest?

Some models retain value in ways their badge-mates do not. In the 2025 Wertmeister, the Mercedes G-Klasse led all classes at 67.6 percent, followed by the Citroën Berlingo in vans (62.4 percent), the Dacia Duster in compact SUVs (60.6 percent) and the Porsche 911 in sports cars (63.0 percent). Mini topped small cars with the Cooper at 59.1 percent.

The pattern behind these results is not one of badge prestige alone: the list contains a luxury off-roader, a sports car, a budget SUV and a delivery van.

Key takeaways

• DAT: a three-year-old BEV has an average residual of about 49 to 52 percent of list price, petrol about 58 to 59 percent, diesel about 56 to 58 percent. In August 2026 BEV residuals were rising (+1.4 points since May).
• Audi took three of the eleven 2025 Wertmeister titles (A3 Sportback; A6 Avant e-tron twice), the first time a BEV won the open upper class.
• Mercedes-Benz scored two wins (CLE in mid-size, G-Klasse in mid-to-upper SUV); Mini scored two (Cooper in small cars, Aceman in electric small cars).
• The Mercedes G-Klasse hit 67.6 percent residual after 36 months and 60,000 km, the highest of the eleven classes.
• The Dacia Duster won compact SUVs at 60.6 percent; the Porsche 911 won sports cars at 63.0 percent.
• Percentage retention and absolute euro loss tell different stories: the Duster keeps a higher share, the Mercedes loses more money.
• Recent entrants and new models have little 36-month data; treat residual forecasts for them as assumptions.
• The Investitionsbooster allows a 75 percent first-year write-off for company BEVs bought from 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2027.
• Wertmeister 2026 was announced on 15 October 2026 (BMW iX3, 4 Series and 5 Series among the winners, per BMW).

Sources and methodology

• Schwacke and Auto Bild — Wertmeister 2025, presented at IAA Mobility Munich in September 2025 (autobild.de, 6 October 2025). Methodology: Schwacke forecast of dealer purchase prices (Händler-EK-Werte) after 36 months and 60,000 km, May to July 2025 average.
• Autovista24 and ecomento (16 September 2025) — coverage of the Wertmeister 2025 results.
• DAT residual-value analyses, 2026, as reported by t3n.de, vision-mobility.de (August 2026) and autoscout24.de.
• BMW Group press release, 15 October 2026 (Wertmeister 2026).
• IHK Gera and steuerberaten.de — Investitionsbooster.
• KBA data on Tesla registrations as reported by secondary sources.

Related reading

This breakdown sits inside the Market Analytics cluster:

• German Car Market Report 2025–2026 — Pillar guide — the parent article for this cluster.
• Most Popular Cars in Germany: KBA Registration Data Breakdown — Spoke — model-level rankings.
• Total Cost of Ownership: Compact, SUV and EV Compared — Spoke — segment-level cost differences.
• Chinese Brands in Germany: BYD, MG and the Market Shift — Spoke — the new entrants in the German market.
• Schwacke List Explained: How Germany Values Used Cars — Cross-cluster (Buying Guides) — methodology of the Schwacke valuation system.
• Automobilisto vehicle catalog — Check specifications and battery details for any brand before buying.