The adage that driving off the garage forecourt in your new car sees you lose a third of its value within the first mile used to be fairly true, depending on which model you purchased. But have things changed?

I don’t want to diminish your excitement of buying a new car, but it’s important to remember how much your shiny new purchase is going to be worth when you come to sell it. And the rate at which your car sheds pounds and pence – known as depreciation – varies wildly depending on which car you go for.

While depreciation rarely factors into most people’s buying decisions, it should. That’s because depreciation, alongside other costs such as fuel consumption, servicing, and vehicle tax, is incredibly important. It’s still important if you’re buying a used car rather than a new one, too, because while high depreciation is bad news for a car’s first owner, it could be good news for anyone buying a used model.

Here we take a look at the ten fastest depreciating cars on sale today, based on the typical ownership period of three years or 36,000 miles - and there are some surprises here.

1 VAUXHALL CORSA ELECTRIC
The regular Vauxhall Corsa is one of the best-selling new cars in the UK, and this pure electric version offers many of the same benefits as that car—namely, a keen price and lots of standard kit for your money. However, it’s also the new car that loses the biggest percentage of its value over three years and 36,000 miles of ownership.

2 DS9
The DS 9 was intended to be a leftfield choice in the luxury car market. This plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version combines the potential for low running costs with all the comfort, tech and quality you’d expect in a big cruiser. Sadly, the reality doesn’t quite live up to the hype because despite having a comfortable ride and a well-finished interior, the DS 9 trails behind other models when it comes to infotainment, rear headroom and practicality.

3 MAZDA MX-30
Mazda’s first electric car is already a fairly expensive proposition, so it’s bad news that it will also lose value faster than most rivals, shedding more than £20,000 after three years and 36,000 miles of ownership.

4 JEEP COMPASS
Jeep is synonymous with off-roading, and sure enough the latest Compass SUV is incredibly capable away from the Tarmac. On the road, however, the Compass is louder than its rivals, has steering that’s too light to inspire confidence, and has less performance than you’d like in a car of this size.

5 AUDI A8
You could well argue that if you’re spending the kind of money needed to put the Audi A8 luxury limousine on your driveway, you’re not overly concerned about running costs or depreciation. Still, nobody, even the super-rich, likes a bad investment – and with enough value lost after three years to buy a Range Rover Evoque, that’s exactly what this version of the A8 is.

6 BMW 8 SERIES
It used to be the semi-sensible 840i petrol-engined version of the BMW 8 Series that performed worst for depreciation, but these days, it’s the range-topping M50 model, with its stonking 523bhp V8 engine, that features here.

7 LEXUS UX300e
That this all-electric version of the Lexus UX SUV features on this list of the fastest-depreciating cars is only the cherry on top of what is a fairly unappealing cake. That’s because, alongside hefty depreciation, you’ve got to factor in the UX300e’s short real-world range of just 170 miles, as well as limited practicality and uninspiring handling.

8 DS 3
This small electric SUV counts the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV and MG ZS EV among its key rivals but loses more value once you’ve covered 36,000 miles than all of those.

9 AUDI A6
It’s worth noting that not all versions of the Audi A6 luxury car depreciate heftily, but this plug-in hybrid version is one which does, losing more than £40,000 worth of value once you’ve owned it for three years.

10 PEUGEOT e-208
On paper and depreciation aside, there's a lot to like about this small electric car. Even entry-level versions can officially take you up to 224 miles between charges, which is better than you'd find in the rival Fiat 500 Electric, for example. And while the 134bhp electric motor isn't the last word in performance, it's nippy enough for most situations.