The 10 cars owners ditch after less than a year more than any other, according to data

Matthew DeBord/BI

  • Whether it's circumstance, preference, or just wanting to have a shiny new car every year, sometimes owners sell back cars after only a short term of ownership.

  • The website iSeeCars.com has compiled a list of the 10 cars given up and resold as "used" most within the first year of ownership

  • A Mercedes-Benz tops the list, which also includes three BMWs, two Land Rovers, two Nissans, a Mini, and a Jaguar.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Automotive research firm iSeeCars.com has compiled a list of the top ten cars most commonly resold as "used" within the first year of ownership.

iSeeCars.com analyzed over 46 million new car sales from the 2014 to 2017 model years that were sold between July 2013 and December 2018.

Eight out of ten on the list are German and British luxury cars. The other two are Nissans. The list tops off with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 12.4% are resold used within the first year. This is 3.7 times more than the average for all vehicles. On average, 3.4% of new vehicles are resold within the first year of ownership.

The list also includes a BMW, two Land Rovers, a Mini, two BMWs, two Nissans, and a Jaguar.

Read more: 17 discontinued car brand logos you completely forgot about and will likely never see on the road again

The firm excluded vehicles with less than 1,000 miles on the odometer from the study. This was done to keep the study from being skewed by "car punching", which is when automakers offer incentives to dealers to buy new cars to use as loaners and then resell them when they're still under a year old.

Check out the list of the most commonly resold cars within the first year of ownership:

10. Nissan Versa

Courtesy Nissan

The sedan and hatchback version of the Nissan Versa both made the list.

The data says 8.7% of Nissan Versas were resold as "used" within the first year.

9. Jaguar XF

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

"Jaguar is notorious for having high operating costs, which may cause new car owners to give up their cars soon after purchase," iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly said in a prepared statement.

"However, the automaker has fought to improve that perception by recently decreasing prices and adding free scheduled maintenance for new cars."

The data says 8.8% of Jaguar XFs were resold.

8. Nissan Versa Note

Nissan Media

The second Nissan Versa on the list is the hatchback Note version. The data says 9% of the Notes were resold.

7. BMW X3

BMW

"Despite the popularity of the [BMW X3 and X1], they generally have below-average reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, which could contribute to why owners get rid of them so quickly," Ly said.

Like the Nissan Versa Note, 9% of the BMW X3s were resold.

6. BMW X1

BMW

"Another possible explanation is that BMW and Mercedes offer incentives to their dealers to buy new cars to use as loaner vehicles, which are then sold as used when they are still under a year old," Ly continued.

"In turn, this boosts the brand's new car sales and introduces current customers to new models when they bring in their vehicles for service."

The data says 10.4% of the X1s were resold.

5. Mini Clubman

Courtesy of MINI

The Mini Clubman is the most expensive car on the list. Its price, in conjunction with its low fuel-economy rating, may have caused drivers to want to trade it in for something more efficient, Ly said.

The data says 10.7% of the cars purchased were resold.

4. Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

The data says 10.9% of the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque models sold were resold.

3. Land Rover Discovery Sport

Land Rover

"The Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque each have poor projected reliability ratings from J.D. Power, which could contribute to why owners would want to give them up," Ly said.

The data says 11.8% of the Discovery Sport units sold were resold.

2. BMW 3 Series

BMW

The data says 11.8% of the 3 Series sold were resold.

1. Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes Benz

The most resold car, 12.4% of these Mercedes were resold used within the first year. This is 3.7 times more than the average for all vehicles