The cars with the highest retained value after three years and 60,000 miles

The 2005 Survey

German cars dominated the Lex used car survey in 2005 with values calculated from a nationwide (UK) fleet of 123,000 vehicles. All 10 places in the survey were taken up by German manufacturers with the Boxster topping the list for the fourth successive year. After three years and 60,000 miles - a typical annual company car age and mileage - the Porsche Boxster was calculated to be worth 54% or £19950 of its original cost new. The BMW Z4 and X3 were joined in joint second place by the MINI, while the X5 came in at number five. Given that the MINI is a BMW brand, the BMW marque had every right to feel pleased with itself, scoring five of the top six placings, and six of the top eight placings across all cars. Cars dropping out of the 2004 top 10 and indeed the top 20 included the Beetle Cabriolet, Lexus SC430, Mazda RX8 and Audi Cabriolet.

The 2004 Survey

The Porsche Boxster won the accolade for the third year in a row with values calculated from a nationwide (UK) fleet of 120,000 vehicles. Lex calculated the Boxster to be worth 60% of its original purchase price after three years and 60,000 miles - a typical company car age and mileage - more than any other car on its books. That meant a typical 2.7 litre Boxster would be worth around £19,000 after a three-year period, a figure, which was remarkable considering the car, had been available for eight years in the UK at that time. Second and third in the Lex top 10 were the BMW Z4 and X3 4x4.

'The Boxster has the all important Porsche badge on the front which is important for user choosers, but the restricted number of vehicles sold each year and the affordability for the entry level 2.7 litre model has made it hugely popular both new and used,' explained Steve Jones, Pricing Manager at Lex Vehicle Leasing. 'The same goes for both the Z4 and X3. Both cars are new to the market, the Z4 has already made a big impact in the sports car sector and the X3 looks like a smaller version of the X5 and already has a strong order bank. Both cars are in high demand and supply is relatively limited so appeal both new and used is very high,' he added. Fourth on the list was the Mercedes CLK, which had not been outside the top 10 over the previous three years. Two new entries onto the list were the Mazda RX8 and the Audi Cabriolet.

The 2003 Survey

The Porsche Boxster retained its position as the car that depreciates slower than any other three-year old car based on calculations over the Lex Vehicle Leasing fleet of 97,000 vehicles. In a survey of the residual values of thousands of cars covering a typical annual mileage of 60,000 miles, the Boxster was worth £18,000, or 57% of its original cost new. Coupes and 4x4s led the way in this survey with seven making an appearance in the top 10, while the Audi TT, Jaguar X-Type and BMW 3 Series were among the cars that dropped off the list.

In second and third places respectively were the Mercedes CLK and SLK, reinforcing the German car maker's reputation for stylish sports cars, and superb build quality. The highest new entry for the year was the Volvo XC90, which had already sold out its 2003 dealer allocation, while the Land Rover Defender moved up two places to number five.

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