The Charge Port Reports · Q3 2026 Edition
EV Value Retention Report — Q3 2026
How much of their original price do electric vehicles keep? We pulled two-year value retention for 80 EVs (model years 2020–2025) from our depreciation dataset. The headline: a typical 2-year-old EV held about 61.2% of its sticker in 2026 — but the field split wide, from 78.3% at the top to 45.7% at the bottom. This is a fixed Q3 snapshot; a new edition publishes each quarter.
The headline numbers
Every figure in this report comes from The Charge Port's EV depreciation dataset, verified June 14, 2026. "Value retention" means a vehicle's current average used-market price divided by its original model-year MSRP (destination excluded). The ranking universe is 2-year-old (2024 model-year) EVs with an established used market — an apples-to-apples cohort of 28 cars — so a brand-new nameplate's thin-data numbers can't distort the picture.
Average 2-year retention by body style
| Body style | Avg 2-yr retention | EVs | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trucks | 66.5% | 5 | R1T, Silverado EV, Sierra EV, Cybertruck, F-150 Lightning |
| Sedans | 63.2% | 3 | Model 3, Taycan, Polestar 2 |
| Mainstream SUVs | 59.8% | 15 | Model Y, Ioniq 5, EV6, Mach-E, Macan EV… |
| Luxury (SUV + sedan) | 54% | 4 | Lyriq, iX, EQS, ZDX |
Averages are unweighted means of the tracked 2024-model-year EVs in each group (not sales-weighted), estimates excluded. Trucks lead on constrained supply and strong demand for electric pickups; luxury EVs trail because they carry ordinary luxury-car depreciation on top of EV-specific pressure. One body style sits above them all: the electric van — the sole entry, VW's ID. Buzz, held 78.3%, propped up by novelty and thin used supply.
Top 10 EVs by 2-year value retention
The ten 2024-model-year EVs that kept the most of their original MSRP on the 2026 used market. Newly launched models with thin used-market history are excluded.
| # | EV | 2-yr retained | Typical used | Original MSRP | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volkswagen ID. Buzz Van | 78.3% | ~$47,000 | $59,995 | B |
| 2 | Porsche Macan EV SUV | 74.9% | ~$59,000 | $78,800 | A |
| 3 | Rivian R1S SUV | 73.1% | ~$55,500 | $75,900 | A |
| 4 | Rivian R1T Truck | 71.5% | ~$50,000 | $69,900 | A |
| 5 | Porsche Taycan Sedan | 68.4% | ~$62,200 | $90,900 | B |
| 6 | Chevrolet Silverado EV Truck | 68.1% | ~$51,000 | $74,900 | B |
| 7 | Tesla Model 3 Sedan | 66.2% | ~$25,800 | $38,990 | A |
| 8 | Hyundai Kona Electric SUV | 65.8% | ~$21,500 | $32,675 | B |
| 9 | GMC Sierra EV Truck | 65.3% | ~$65,000 | $99,495 | B |
| 10 | Tesla Model Y SUV | 64.2% | ~$30,500 | $47,490 | A |
A note on the leaders: the ID. Buzz, Silverado EV, and Sierra EV rank high partly on enthusiast demand and thin used supply — all three trend declining — while the Rivians, Porsches, and Teslas hold on durable, repeatable demand. Grades (A–D) reflect resale strength relative to comparable EVs at the same age, not absolute retention.
Bottom 10 EVs by 2-year value retention
The ten 2024-model-year EVs that lost the most, worst first. For buyers, this is the bargain list — steep depreciation is a used-buyer's best friend.
| # | EV | 2-yr retained | Typical used | Original MSRP | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acura ZDX Luxury SUV | 45.7% | ~$29,500 | $64,500 | D |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz EQS Luxury Sedan | 49.8% | ~$52,000 | $104,400 | D |
| 3 | Toyota bZ4X SUV | 51.1% | ~$22,000 | $43,070 | C |
| 4 | Honda Prologue SUV | 52.7% | ~$25,000 | $47,400 | C |
| 5 | Audi Q4 e-tron SUV | 53.9% | ~$27,500 | $50,995 | C |
| 6 | Nissan Ariya SUV | 54.3% | ~$21,500 | $39,590 | C |
| 7 | Polestar 2 Sedan | 55.1% | ~$27,500 | $49,900 | C |
| 8 | Volvo EX40 SUV | 56.1% | ~$30,000 | $53,450 | C |
| 9 | Kia EV6 SUV | 56.8% | ~$24,200 | $42,600 | B |
| 10 | BMW iX Luxury SUV | 57.4% | ~$50,000 | $87,100 | C |
Longer-horizon losers are worse still: the Jaguar I-PACE retained just ~29–34% after 4–5 years, and older Mercedes EQS and Lucid Air examples sit near or below half of their six-figure stickers. Full curves for every model year live on the EV depreciation tracker.
The 2026 story: Tesla up, everything else down
The defining used-EV story of 2026 opened when the federal $7,500 new-EV credit expired on September 30, 2025. With the credit gone, automakers cut new-EV prices (new-EV listings fell more than 12%) and new-EV sales dropped about 28% year over year in Q1 2026 — which pulled used values down with them. Across the used market, every brand except Tesla fell an average of about 3.6% in early 2026.
Tesla went the other way. Used Teslas rose about 4.3% over the same window — Model S +8.5%, Model X +10.3%, Model 3 +2.6%, and Model Y +1.3% — as buyers priced in Supercharger access, OTA updates, and a deep resale market. Because Tesla makes up the bulk of the used-EV pool, a naive "average used EV" number is misleading: strip Tesla out and the rest of the market is still sliding. Meanwhile, used-EV sales surged roughly 12% in Q1 2026 as shoppers shut out of the new-car credit moved to the used lot.
Market-movement figures: Electrek / Recurrent used-EV market reporting, February–March 2026. The retention rankings above are computed from The Charge Port's own dataset.
Methodology & sources
What "2-year value retention" means. For each vehicle we divide its current average used-market price by its original model-year MSRP (destination excluded), for a typical example at the listed age and mileage. A car that stickered at $50,000 and now trades at $30,000 retained 60%.
Where the data comes from. Used values are grounded in CarEdge per-model depreciation data, the iSeeCars 2026 Depreciation Study, Recurrent's Used EV Market Report, and live KBB / Edmunds / CarGurus listings (June 2026). Grades (A–D) reflect resale strength relative to comparable EVs at the same age, not absolute retention. The dataset was last verified June 14, 2026.
The estimate caveat. A few very recently launched models — the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Cadillac Vistiq, Volvo EX30 and EX90 — have too little used-market history to price with confidence, so they are flagged as estimates in the dataset and excluded from every ranking and average in this report. That leaves 28 two-year-old EVs in the ranking cohort. Averages are unweighted per-model means, not sales-weighted.
Cite this report
The Charge Port. "EV Value Retention Report — Q3 2026." July 9, 2026. https://thechargeport.com/reports/ev-value-retention-q3-2026
Free to quote and link with attribution. For the interactive, always-current version of the underlying data, see the EV depreciation & resale-value tracker.
Frequently asked questions
Which EV holds its value best in 2026?
Among 2-year-old (2024) EVs, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz tops the table at 78.3% retention, followed by the Porsche Macan EV (74.9%). But those leaders lean on thin used supply and enthusiast demand, and both trend declining. The strongest holders on durable, everyday demand are the Rivian R1S (73.1%) and R1T (71.5%); in the mass market, the Tesla Model 3 (66.2%) and Model Y (64.2%) lead.
How much do electric cars depreciate?
The average 2-year-old EV in this report retained about 61% of its original MSRP — a roughly 39% two-year loss. Over three years most EVs lose 40–50%, steeper than the 35–40% typical of gas cars after the 2024–2025 used-EV price slide. The best holders (Rivian R1S, Tesla Model 3) shed only ~30–35% by year three; the worst lose well over half.
Do Teslas hold their value better than other EVs?
At two years, yes for the mass-market models: the Model 3 (66.2%) and Model Y (64.2%) are among the best-retaining EVs, averaging about 64.8% with the Cybertruck. Tesla was also the only brand whose used values rose in early 2026 (~4.3%) while used EVs excluding Tesla fell ~3.6%. The higher-priced Model S and Model X depreciate like other luxury cars (~42–48% retained at 4–5 years).
Which EV loses its value fastest?
Among 2-year-old EVs, the Acura ZDX (45.7%) and Mercedes-Benz EQS (49.8%) retain the least. Over longer horizons the Jaguar I-PACE is the worst in the dataset, retaining just ~29–34% after 4–5 years. Luxury EVs depreciate hardest in absolute dollars because they stack ordinary luxury-car depreciation on top of EV-specific factors.
Keep going: the full EV depreciation tracker ranks all 80 EVs interactively, the cheapest new EVs list shows where the value is on the new lot, and the EV Finder matches a model to your budget and commute — resale grade included.