Experts highly value Seat’s residuals

More good news for SEAT buyers comes from the residual value experts at CAP Motor Research Ltd, a key provider of used car prices to the motor trade, who have been busy crunching their numbers as the ‘Credit Crunch’ continues to bite.

While some owners are seeing the value of their used cars plummet, CAP has confirmed that when it comes to making a sound motoring investment SEAT is right up there with the market leaders.

The latest January used car data from CAP shows, for instance, that the recently-launched SEAT Ibiza SC 1.2 S A/C is predicted to hang on to an astonishing 43% of its RRP after the average three years/60,000 miles of motoring.

This compares very favourably with a typical cross-section of competitors with, for example, CAP suggesting that the new Ford Fiesta 1.25 Style 3dr should manage to retain 39% of its list price after the same period. Meanwhile, CAP says the Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 12V Life (A/C) 3dr should hang on to 31% over three years/60,000 miles, the Peugeot 207 1.4 Urban 31% and the Renault Clio 1.2 Dynamique 3dr (A/C) around 29% of its original RRP.

It’s the same story with SEAT’s new Ibiza 5dr in popular 1.4 Sport spec’. CAP’s residual value experts are predicting this model to be worth a very respectable 42% of its original list price after three years/60,000 miles. Meanwhile, the new Ford Fiesta 1.4 Zetec 5dr should retain 37%, the Peugeot 207 1.4 S A/C 5dr 30%, Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Design (A/C) 5dr 29%, and Renault’s Clio 1.2 Dynamique 5dr A/C is predicted to be worth 28% of its original list price.

To put it another way, CAP expects the recently-launched Ford to lose £1,321 more of its original asking price than the SEAT after its first three years on the road while the Peugeot is expected to shed £1,874 more, the Renault £2,069 more and the Vauxhall a whopping £2,439 more of its list price than the Ibiza after a typical three-year tour of duty in the UK.

Other similarly strong residual value performances can be seen across the SEAT line-up with Ibiza Ecomotive and Leon Ecomotive, Leon FR, Altea, Altea XL and Alhambra all recording impressive figures, according to CAP’s statistics.

CAP is acknowledged as one of the industry’s leading residual value forecasters. CAP’s Manufacturer Relationship Manager, Martin Ward, said: ‘There’s no denying that the car marketplace, both for new and used models, can be very difficult at the moment.

‘But where SEAT scores, simply, is that its model range includes cars that people really want to buy, either new or used. SEAT’s line-up means that it is not carrying any baggage – and with a market as tight as this one that can only be good news.’

Head of SEAT UK, Peter Wyhinny, is clear about why the Spanish cars continue to prove so attractive to increasingly demanding UK buyers: ‘Exceptional value for money is just one thing which marks our cars out as being special. Our especially generous levels of standard equipment, for instance, come into their own when money is tight.

‘As forecourts across the country fill up with used cars that people seem to have lost interest in, the enduring appeal of our range to used as well as new car customers is clear.

‘The importance of strong residual values to new car buyers cannot be overstated, either. Statistics like the ones we see from CAP not only reassure buyers that they are investing in a desirable model, but also allow finance providers to deliver particularly attractive monthly payments via increasingly popular Personal Contract Purchase and business-friendly Contract Hire deals.’