Comparing luxury and mainstream vehicles of the same body type and the same model year gives a clean measure of what the badge is worth over time. For SUVs, it eventually goes negative.
| Model year | Luxury SUV premium | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.593x | +59% |
| 2020 | 1.252x | +25% |
| 2013 | 1.053x | +5% |
| 2009 | 1.000x | Identical: $4,995 both |
| 2007 | 0.771x | −23% |
An eighteen-year-old luxury SUV is worth less than a mainstream one
0.771x in 2007. The premium doesn't merely erode — it inverts. A luxury three-row SUV of that age sells for $3,850 against $4,995 for the mainstream equivalent.
By 2009 they're exactly equal at $4,995 each. From there the mainstream car pulls ahead.
Meanwhile the luxury sedan premium holds between 1.25x and 1.69x across all 22 model years in the data, never dropping below 1.25. An old 5-Series still commands more than an old Camry. An old Escalade doesn't beat an old Highlander.
Why the shapes behave differently
Running costs scale with the vehicle. A large luxury SUV combines air suspension, all-wheel drive, oversized brakes and a big engine. Every one of those is expensive to fix, and at fifteen years old they all need fixing at once. The mainstream SUV has fewer of those systems and cheaper versions of the ones it has.
The buyer changes completely. A fifteen-year-old SUV is bought by someone who needs seven seats and towing on a tight budget. That buyer prices on running costs, and the luxury badge is a liability in that calculation, not an asset.
Sedans escape this. An old luxury sedan is bought partly for what it is — a comfortable car with good seats — and its systems, while expensive, are fewer. There's also an enthusiast floor under certain models that SUVs don't have.
What to do with it
Buying: the fifteen-year-old luxury SUV is the value in this table. You get a better-equipped vehicle for less than the mainstream equivalent. The catch is the running costs that created the discount — budget for suspension and driveline, not just for the purchase.
Selling: don't wait. If you own a luxury SUV, the premium is gone somewhere around year twelve. Holding it longer means selling into a market that values it below a Highlander.
Check what the specific one has already cost. On these vehicles service history is worth more than mileage. Air suspension, transfer case and cooling work already done is real money.
Verify the history. A VIN check shows title brands and recorded mileage — worth doing on any car whose price sits below its peers for reasons you haven't identified yet. We looked at what mileage costs by brand in every 1,000 miles costs half a percent, and at which cars resist depreciation in the cars that hold their value.
Frequently asked questions
Do luxury SUVs hold their value?
Only while they're recent. The premium over a mainstream equivalent falls from 1.593x on a 2025 model to 1.053x on a 2013 one, and inverts to 0.771x by 2007 — an eighteen-year-old luxury SUV sells for less than a mainstream one.
Why do luxury sedans hold value better than luxury SUVs?
Fewer expensive systems and a different buyer. An old luxury SUV combines air suspension, all-wheel drive and a large engine, all needing work at once, and its buyer is shopping on running costs. The sedan premium never drops below 1.25x.
Is an old luxury SUV a good buy?
It's the value in the data — a better-equipped vehicle for less than the mainstream equivalent. But the discount exists because of running costs, so budget for suspension and driveline work rather than just the purchase price.
When should I sell a luxury SUV?
Before year twelve. The badge premium is largely gone by then, and holding longer means selling into a market that prices the vehicle below its mainstream equivalent.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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