Carsales has announced its Best Used Cars Awards for 2024.
It says moderating used car prices has injected value back into the market.
In recent years, it’s been a seller’s market for used cars, but with the market normalising and new car supply catching up with demand in the post-COVID era, prices have moderated according to Carsales.
It says generous savings can be had from buying a used car in 2024 – a vehicle costing $45,000 when new six years ago could cost as little as $20,000 in today’s used-car market.
Mazda topped three of the 10 categories in the Carsales used car awards this year, followed by Toyota and Hyundai with two apiece, and one each for Ford, Porsche and Skoda.
“From the most affordable small cars to luxury sedans and heavy-duty off-road wagons, key metrics considered were cost of ownership, safety, retained value and market appeal,” Carsales editor-in-chief Mike Sinclair says.
“Mazda is once again the brand to beat and between the CX-3, CX-5 and Mazda6, there is something for almost everyone – a fuel-efficient and enjoyable drive, a safe and comfortable strong-selling SUV and a roomy family car with real-world performance.
“Cars up to six years old represent good value for buyers in the used-car market because they have been through the worst of their depreciation and have travelled only about 100,000km, based on an annual average of 15,000km per year,” Sinclair says.
The Carsales Best Used Cars for 2024, are:
• Best Used Small Car: 2018 Hyundai i30 Premium turbo-diesel
• Best Used Medium Car: 2018 Mazda6 Atenza
• Best Used Electric Vehicle: 2018 Hyundai IONIQ Electric Premium
• Best Used Small SUV: 2018 Mazda CX-3 Akari turbo-diesel AWD
• Best Used Medium SUV: 2018 Mazda CX-5 Akera turbo-diesel AWD
• Best Used Large SUV: 2018 Skoda Kodiaq 140TDI Sportline
• Best Used Sports Car: 2018 Toyota 86 GTS
• Best Used Luxury Car: 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo
• Best Used Dual-Cab Ute: 2018 Ford Ranger Raptor 4×4 Double Cab Utility
• Best Used Off-Road 4×4: 2018 Toyota LandCruiser Sahara
The carsales Best used cars are selected using a combination of expert evaluation and data from RedBook.com.au.
Every vehicle variant was assessed based on the following key criteria: six years old (2018) with 15,000km covered per year, and ESC (electronic stability control) as standard.
The RedBook data is formulated from the cost of ownership, safety, retained value, and market appeal. It comprises half the total score for each vehicle, and a score out of 10 from each of the five judges makes up the balance (out of 100).
