Sometimes the choice is pretty clear. Would you rather buy new or slightly used? What if the difference between the two is only a couple of grand? Financed over three or five years, or paying with cash, the slight increase is probably worth buying a brand, spanking new car. With that in mind here’s eight vehicles that are almost as cheap as new instead of buying used. 

This isn’t true for every new car. Most drop significantly in price the instant they’re driven off of the dealership lot. But some vehicles retain their values over the first year or two more than others. Those are the ones we’ve chosen here. 

The advantages, besides the new car smell, are newer technology and safety features

The advantages, besides the new car smell, are newer technology and safety features. Plus, the price difference might actually be offset by factory incentives or a better warranty. So why pay for used when new could be so much better?

For comparison, the average new vehicle is 26.8% higher for a new version relative to a slightly used version of the same car. That comes out to $7,654 more on average. So keep that in mind when you see the price differentials of the top eight on this list. 

The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is $3,200 more new than used

With a difference of less than nine percent, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is $3,200 more new than used. This is the least differential on average according to iSeeCars research from our list of eight.   It’s also the only vehicle with the difference in single digits.

Next up is the Toyota Tacoma. With a differential slightly above 10%, a new Tacoma will cost you $3,320 over a one-year-old version. The only other Toyota on the list comes in at number three. With a differential of 12.7%, the 4Runner is $4,605 more than a 2019 model. That’s a lot of money but relative to the overall price the 12.7% difference isn’t too big of a gap.

The Nissan Frontier and Honda Pilot come in fourth and fifth

In fourth is the Nissan Frontier pickup. Priced $3,180 more than a slightly used Frontier on average that is only 13.3% more. Behind the Frontier is the Honda Pilot. It’s tied with the Chevy Colorado pickup at a 13.7% differential between new and used. The Honda will cost on average $4,858 more while a new Colorado will be $4,154 over the cost of a used Colorado.

Besides being a good value you can see that all of the vehicles on this list are either SUVs, crossovers, or pickup trucks. This aligns with their current popularity. Obviously, less-popular vehicles depreciate faster because there is less demand. 

As we all know SUVs and pickups are really hot right now. So the added advantage to slipping into one of these new or used is that they will depreciate less than other vehicles that didn’t make the list.