The Volkswagen e-Golf has been named a big winner in the electric car segment in the latest Canadian Black Book 2021 Best Brands and Best Vehicles for Retained Value ranking.
Volkswagen e-Golf | Photo: Volkswagen
This year, the Canadian Black Book, famous for its calculation of the retained value and thus the resale value of vehicles in the Canadian market, added new categories to the electric vehicle segment. Titles were awarded for Best Brand and Best Luxury Zero-Emission Car, although in this category only the BMW i3 was considered.
2019 BMW i3 EV | Photo: BMW
The Volkswagen e-Golf finished first for resale value ahead of the Chevrolet Bolt and the Kia Soul EV for the title of Best Car for Retained Value in Normal Electric Vehicles.
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV | Photo: Olivier Delorme
The Volkswagen e-Golf retains 57.1% of its value after 4 years, the best retained value for an electric vehicle since they were first considered by the Canadian Black Book.
The retained value indicates the percentage of the initial price paid by the customer that is retained after four years. The Canadian Black Book measures the depreciation and therefore the resale value of the various vehicles. The industry average is 64%, which means that the e-Golf and all electric vehicles are below the average resale value.
2020 Kia Soul EV – Matt St-Pierre
According to James Hancock, Director of Manufacturing Strategies at Canadian Black Book, that may soon change. “Zero-emission vehicles are getting a lot more attention, and battery technology and range are improving all the time, which is driving consumer interest in electric vehicles.
According to him, the gap between internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles in terms of resale value “is closing fast”.
On the regular car side, the Honda Civic finished first for retained value while Honda finished number one for popular brands. Porsche finished first for luxury brands while Kia was the most improved brand in the 2021 ranking.
2022 Honda Civic | Photo: Matt St-Pierre
