Depreciation is a very important consideration when buying your next car.

Not only does it determine how much money you will lose if you’re a cash buyer or paying the model off in one lump sum, but in the case of new cars, it is also a huge decider when it comes to working out monthly finance figures. This is vital when you consider that the majority of new cars are now bought this way.

(Porsche Cayenne)

It means that premium models can often be cheaper to finance than mainstream alternatives, because they’ll typically be worth more come the end of the finance agreement, and can therefore be offered at more attractive monthly rates.

But how do you know which are the best and worst depreciating models?

(Porsche 718 Cayman GTS)

Well, handily What Car? has just published its annual list to work out which cars will lose the least value, and the models that could be money pits.

Unsurprisingly, it was premium and sports models that topped the list, and the Range Rover Evoque proved to be victorious. The new compact SUV was rated as having class-leading residuals by car valuation experts Cap Hpi in February, and has now become What Car’s least depreciating model with an Evoque in popular R-Dynamic S trim with the P250 petrol engine retaining 70 per cent of its value after three years and 30,000 miles.

(Range Rover Evoque)

It means the Evoque Is worth £27,100 come the end of the typical finance agreement, after having a list price of £38,675.

Porsches also dominate the list with a Cayenne E-Hybrid retaining 65.2 per cent of its £67,208 list price in the same time frame, followed by Audi’s new all-electric e-tron, which is expected to hold onto 65.1 per cent of its £71,520 value after three years, thus meaning it should be worth £46,575. The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo 4 E-Hybrid and Porsche 718 Cayman GTS round off the top five, with these two cars retaining 64.9 and 64.5 per cent of their original list price after three years.

(Fiat Doblo)

But what about the other end of the spectrum?

It was Fiats that were classed as the worst depreciating models, with the Italian manufacturer’s Doblo XL Combi with the 1.6-litre diesel engine having a value of just 26.1 per cent of its value after three years. That means it’s worth £6,825 in the time frame — down from a £26,183 list price. The Fiat Tipo in Easy Plus trim was also worth just £5,650 after three years — holding onto just 27.5 per cent of its value.

(Fiat Tipo)

In third place was the Maserati Quattroporte (retaining 27.7 per cent) followed by the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer (28 per cent) and Peugeot 308 SW (28.1 per cent).

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “The worst depreciating table is a reminder that new car buyers need to do their homework before signing on the dotted line. Securing the best deal possible on a new car helps offset the money it will lose.”