In brief

• A new car worth about 40,000 euros loses about half its value after four years, and a two-year-old one avoids the steepest drop.
• In nine months, companies and entrepreneurs bought 2,167 used cars from AURES Holdings' network.
• Purchases of more expensive cars and battery electric vehicles (BEV) are rising, growing by about three quarters year on year.

The steepest drop falls in the first years

A new car worth about 40,000 euros loses about half its value after four years (Podnikatelia sa čoraz častejšie vyhýbajú najprudšiemu poklesu ceny auta a mieria na sekundárny trh – Pravda.sk). A two-year-old vehicle avoids the most painful part of this loss. Over the following four years, its value falls by almost 10,000 euros less than that of a new car.

Entrepreneurs buy used

In the largest domestic network of car dealerships belonging to the AURES Holdings group, companies and self-employed persons bought 2,167 used cars in the first nine months of this year. According to this data, the choice of used vehicles stems mainly from a desire to limit capital losses, not from a lack of funds for purchase.

Purchases of electric cars are growing

At the same time, entrepreneurs are increasingly reaching for more expensive vehicles and battery electric vehicles (BEV). Purchases of the latter grew year on year by about three quarters. This means that price itself is not the main problem for companies, and purchasing decisions increasingly depend on the expected loss of the vehicle's value over time.

Significance for fleets

For companies managing a fleet, this means shifting attention from buying new vehicles to the secondary market. When leasing and renewing a fleet, it is worth comparing not only the purchase price but, above all, the drop in value over a horizon of several years.