Writer: Richard Crosthwaite

We all want to drive a smart, premium car – but if you’re a business owner shelling out your own hard-earned or an SME director looking to find the best time to sell, as in everything, timing is crucial. So here’s where to have your money – and here’s where cars’ values are currently heading south.

What’s hot

Jaguar’s facelifted XF might well be a mild facelift, but the buyers want one and are prepared to pay over £2000 more for the same plate over a 2011 model to own one. We saw this trend in the Spring and predict the gap will grow an additional 1% for July.

Porsche PDK gearboxes: For years buyers have shunned Porsche automatic gearboxes (mainly due to their performance) but the new PDK versions are rapidly gaining popularity. Value premiums on the old boxes fall somewhere between zero and £500, but on the PDK this translates to more like £1500.

What’s not

Larger engined diesels are beginning to go the way of their large output petrol cousins. With rising fuel costs, and the increasing performance of smaller engines, the majority see little point in straying above 2.2. Values on the engine ranges above continue to fall at a faster rate.

Mercedes old A and B class continue to find it the going tough, except as a value for money proposition. This segment is a tough nut to crack, with BMW’s Mini and the new Audi A1 as the competition.

However with the new B class finding its way into the used market and the radical new A class coming along, things are looking up for Mercedes.

It makes good company car finance sense to keep an eye on trends in re-sale values – it can make a big difference to the small fleet.

Richard Crosthwaite is prestige car editor at Glass’s Guide.