Lexus takes top spot in Kelley Blue Book's 2014 Best Resale Value Awards

We've always known that used Lexus vehicles keep their values well, and this fact has been recently reconfirmed for a third year in a row by Kelley Blue Book. Lexus took the top spot in the Luxury Brand category in the 2014 Best Resale Value awards, which was actually the fourth time overall that Lexus reached that spot, 2011 being the only year when Lexus didn't place first since the award's inception in 2009. Back In 2011 it was Subaru took took the award for Best Brand for resale values, while BMW took the Best Luxury Brand award for that year.

A total of six 2014 Lexus models ended up winning their categories for best projected resale value. The 2014 Lexus ES 350 took home the award for the best resale value for an entry level luxury car, while at the other end of the lineup the 2014 Lexus LS 460 was given the same award in the high-end luxury car category. It should perhaps come as no surprise that the 2014 Lexus ES 300h won the hybrid/alternative energy car category, with the Lexus RX 450h taking the top spot for the hybrid SUV/crossover category. The Lexus GX 460 and the Lexus LX 570 also won their classes for mid-size and full-size SUVs.

Kelley Blue Book bases the awards on current vehicle data, as well as auction transactions, sales data, and market conditions, also taking an individual vehicle's competition within its segment into account. Kelley also relies upon the projected residual values of vehicles in average condition with 75,000 miles at the end of a five-year lease period in determining the award winners. The projections themselves are relied upon by banks and financial institutions in the automotive leasing industry.

“We are proud once again take the top spot in Kelley Blue Book's prestigious 2014 Best Resale Value Award in the Luxury Brand category,” said Jeff Bracken, vice president and general manager at Lexus group. “At Lexus, our priority is a positive ownership experience for our customers. Resale value is an important part of that, and we are honored to be recognized by Kelley Blue Book.”

Even though Toyota and Lexus were heavily represented in the top picks, cars from other brands also had a good showing. The 2014 Audi A5 won the general luxury car category this year, while the award in the subcompact car category went to the Nissan Versa. The Subaru Impreza captured the compact car category, while the best sports car for resale values ended up being the Chevrolet Camaro V6. And of course the Chevrolet Corvette took home the award for best resale value in the high performance car category.

By Jay Ramey