Here’s how much a 2021 Toyota Tacoma depreciated in five years

Almost all cars become less valuable. But the amount of value a vehicle loses over its lifespan varies greatly from model to model, depending on factors such as license plate number, age, mileage, condition and market trends.

Fortunately for Toyota Tacoma owners, the pickup is a resale champ, rated by KBB as the new car that best retains its value after five years. While its 6,500-pound towing capacity and 1,705-pound payload capacity are far from class-leading, the Tacoma’s strong off-road prowess, refined and polished ride, optional manual transmission, relatively low maintenance costs—and most importantly, its well-recognized reputation for reliability—will keep it attractive for longer.

AutoEdge expect a new Toyota Tacoma to depreciate only 22% after five years, meaning owners will still be left with 78% value retention after half a decade. That’s based on an assumed retail price of $44,395 for a new Tacoma and drivers average about 13,500 miles per year. As for the 2021 Tacoma, figures from CarEdge show that it only lost about 21% of its original price of $39,213 when new, meaning it’s now worth $30,998.

That’s a little better then KBB valuations, which, if you do the math, puts the five-year depreciation for a 2021 Tacoma at 22%. This takes into account the 2021 Tacoma’s starting price of $34,049 and the current retail value of $26,600 for a base 2021 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab.

Regardless, the 2021 Tacoma is still selling for top prices five years later. However, different Tacoma trims depreciate at different rates, so we’ll take a look at the data for the different 2021 trims to find out what they’re worth at the time of writing.

Depending on the trim level you’re looking at, a 2021 Tacoma Crew Cab will have depreciated by 22% to 28% of its original purchase price, according to KBB data. Along with base SR Tacoma trims, TRD Off-Road models with the 6-foot short bed perform the best, losing only 22% of the $38,555 they originally sold for, given their $30,200 retail value on KBB.

The TRD Off-Road model with a 6-foot bed was a bigger decline in comparison, with five-year depreciation of approximately 25%, based on a cost of $39,165 at launch and a current retail value of $29,500. You also can’t go wrong with the TRD Sport with a 6-foot bed if you’re thinking of a vehicle that will get a good price in the long run. Its $39,165 starting price tag and $30,600 retail value mean five-year depreciation is just 22%, putting it in the same elite category of top-performing Tacoma models as the SR and TRD Off-Road models with a 5-foot bed.

The SR5 with a 1.80 meter bed also offers good value, considering its 77% value retention. That means the depreciation over five years is only 23%, given the truck’s original value of $37,080 and the sales price of $28,500. The TRD Sport with 5-foot bed (25% depreciation), Tacoma Limited with 6-foot bed (25%) and the 6-foot Limited (26%) all fell by larger numbers, but the range-topping TRD Pro is currently the worst offender, ranking last among Tacoma crew cab models with 28% depreciation over five years.

The Tacoma’s 2021 depreciation compares favorably with major rivals like the Jeep Wrangler, Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier. The best performing of these is the 2021 Jeep Wrangler, which retains about 71% of its value after five years, which equates to a depreciation of 29% per year. AutoEdge facts.

Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise, since we’ve known for years that the Wrangler is one of the cars that depreciates the least in five years. Even the slightly older 2020 model does quite well in terms of depreciation, losing only 29% of its original value after five years. But since this is a segment with several truly desirable vehicles, the Wrangler and Tacoma have company in the best resale value category, including the Ford Ranger.

CarEdge says the Ranger’s resale retention is a whopping 72%, which translates to a low depreciation of 28%. The 2021 Honda Ridgeline, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier also perform well, with depreciation of just 36%, 37%, and 37%, respectively. That leaves the Chevrolet Colorado (48%) as the midsize pickup that depreciates the most.