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Sedans With the Best Resale Value After 5 Years: Leaders and Runners-Up

The Honda Civic sedan leads the compact results, while the Toyota Camry narrowly tops the Honda Accord among midsize sedans. Here’s what the 2026 figures measure—and what they don’t.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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There is no single winner across every sedan class. In iSeeCars’ 2026 compact-car listing, the Honda Civic sedan retained 75.5% of its value after five years; in the midsize category, the Toyota Camry led at 68.5%, just ahead of the Honda Accord at 68.1%. Kelley Blue Book’s 2026 awards also named the Civic and Camry winners in their respective categories, but those awards are projections, not the same measure as iSeeCars’ observed used-car prices.

Which sedan holds its value best after five years?

For a compact sedan, the Honda Civic is the clearest leader in the available 2026 results. For a midsize sedan, the Toyota Camry ranks first, with the Honda Accord close behind. These are class-specific comparisons: the Camry’s percentage should not be read as a direct defeat of the Civic, because they compete in different vehicle classes.

iSeeCars’ 2026 sedan rankings compare MSRP with prices for equivalent five-year-old used vehicles. Its listings put the Civic sedan at 75.5% retained value, the Camry at 68.5%, and the Accord at 68.1%. The Civic hatchback appears separately at 76.9%; it is a hatchback, not a conventional sedan, so it is excluded from the sedan result. See iSeeCars’ 2026 sedan rankings and methodology.

Best resale value sedans by class

Class or category Leader Runner-up What the result means
Compact, iSeeCars Honda Civic sedan — 75.5% retained Honda Civic hatchback — 76.9% retained, but not a sedan The hatchback ranks above the sedan in the listing, but body styles should not be conflated.
Midsize, iSeeCars Toyota Camry — 68.5% retained Honda Accord — 68.1% retained The difference is 0.4 percentage points.
Large, iSeeCars Toyota Avalon — 63.3% retained Dodge Charger — 58.6% retained A separate class, not a like-for-like compact or midsize comparison.
Luxury small-car listing, iSeeCars Lexus RC 300 — 75.4% retained Lexus RC 350 — 74.4% retained Both are coupes, not sedans.
Luxury midsize-car listing, iSeeCars Lexus LC 500 — 68.8% retained Lexus ES 350 — 64.8% retained The LC 500 is a coupe; the ES 350 is the clearer sedan candidate.

Category labels matter. Listings can group coupes or hatchbacks alongside cars that a shopper would ordinarily call sedans. For a sedan-specific answer, use the Civic sedan for compact shoppers and the Camry or Accord for midsize shoppers.

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What Kelley Blue Book’s 2026 awards say

Kelley Blue Book named the Honda Civic its 2026 compact-car award winner and the Toyota Camry its 2026 midsize-car winner. It also named the Acura Integra best luxury compact car and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class best luxury midsize car. These are category awards for 2026 model-year vehicles; the award announcement does not provide an individual retention percentage for each winning sedan. Kelley Blue Book’s 2026 award announcement.

KBB’s awards are based on projected residual values from its Official Residual Value Guide. The projections assume an average-condition vehicle with 75,000 miles after five years and are informed by statistical models and transaction data. KBB estimates an average 2026 model-year vehicle will retain about 45% of its value after five years; vehicles in its Best Resale Value Top 10 are projected to retain around 55% or more of MSRP. Those broad figures are not model-specific Civic or Camry percentages. KBB’s methodology and assumptions.

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How to interpret the five-year percentages

iSeeCars measures past used-market outcomes

The iSeeCars 2026 study analyzed more than 950,000 five-year-old used vehicles sold from March 2025 through February 2026. It compares original MSRP with used prices for equivalent five-year-old vehicles, and adjusts value-retention scoring for inflation using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. These results describe the vehicles and market in that study window; they are not a guaranteed future selling price for a new car bought today. iSeeCars’ 2026 value-retention study.

KBB projects future residual values

KBB’s 2026 awards look forward: they use projected future values for 2026 model-year vehicles under stated mileage and condition assumptions. A projection and a study of vehicles that have already aged five years answer related questions, but they are not interchangeable statistics. Their different results or rankings are not automatically contradictory.

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Average depreciation offers context, not an individual appraisal

Across its 2026 sample, iSeeCars reported average five-year vehicle depreciation of 41.8%, 3.8 percentage points lower than in its 2025 study. The same study reported average depreciation of 22.9% for the Honda Civic category, which includes sedan and hatchback, and 30.5% for the Honda Accord. These figures come from iSeeCars’ observed-sales study, not KBB’s projection method. iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said the reduction “suggests rising used car demand and/or insufficient supply over the past 12 months”; that is an interpretation of the market trend, not proof of why a particular car will retain value. Study sample, model figures and analyst comment.

Civic or Camry: which is better for resale?

Choose by class rather than treating the two percentages as a head-to-head contest. The Civic is the compact leader in iSeeCars’ listing and KBB’s compact award category; the Camry leads iSeeCars’ midsize ranking and is KBB’s midsize award winner. A buyer who needs a compact sedan should compare the Civic with other compact cars; a buyer seeking a midsize sedan should compare Camry and Accord.

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Within the midsize comparison, the Camry’s 68.5% result is only 0.4 percentage points above the Accord’s 68.1%. That narrow gap may matter less to an individual owner than the car’s actual purchase price, condition, mileage, equipment, and local demand. A percentage of MSRP also does not show the number of dollars lost: a higher-priced car can retain a larger share yet lose more dollars.

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What can change your resale result?

Published retention figures are useful for comparing models, but they are not personalized appraisals. iSeeCars’ results are based on MSRP comparisons and a specific used-car sales period; KBB’s projection assumes average condition and 75,000 miles at five years. Neither figure establishes what a particular vehicle will sell for in a given location.

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  • Condition and mileage: damage, maintenance history, and odometer reading can move a car away from a study or projection’s assumed example.
  • Transaction price: what you actually pay matters to your dollar return; MSRP-based retention is not the same as the share of your out-the-door cost you recover.
  • Local supply and demand: market conditions influence resale values, and they vary over time and by location.
  • Personal fit: resale value alone does not determine the best purchase. Compare price, ownership costs, safety, reliability, space, and your needs alongside expected resale.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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