Carsales names Best Used Cars of 2018

carsales.com.au has announced its 2018 Best Used Car Awards.

Using data from redbook.com.au, the rankings judge vehicles in 10 distinct market categories, bridging the divide from the most affordable small cars for young drivers right through to luxury limousines and heavy-duty off-road wagons.

The winners in each category were chosen according to a ranking that was based on a 'fitness' score compiled by RedBook.com.au and combined with aggregate scores from five expert judges.

The five judges were carsales.com.au Road Test Editor Matt Brogan, Data Services Director at RedBook Ross Booth, Technical Editor Ken Gratton, used-car buying expert Cliff Chambers and RedBook Inspect principal, Theo Cosmetatos.

The awards use expert evaluation, comprehensive data and consumer sentiment to recognise Australia's best used cars from the hundreds of vehicles available in the local marketplace.

The key criteria was that the cars needed to be no more than six years old. Cars that are up to six years old continue to provide years of service, but are naturally more affordable than newer cars. Passenger cars of this vintage also offer the invaluable benefit of mandatory electronic stability control, and vehicles were also ranked higher if they were offered with curtain airbags.

Redbook data was used to score the vehicles for retained value, servicing, insurance, running costs (including fuel and tyres) and reliability. Costs were calculated on an average of 15,000 kilometres per year.

Availability was also considered, based on a 'demand and supply metric' (number of days supply). A lower number of days to buy or sell a particular model of car on carsales.com.au is indicative of that car's popularity.

Redbook’s hard data contributed to half the score. The expert judges then ranked the finalists for key factors such as comfort, driveability and other ‘human’ factors.

Carsales Best Used Cars of 2018 are:

Winner: 2012 Hyundai i30 Active hatch GD series
"Surprise packet for people willing to rank Korea alongside Japan" – Cliff Chambers

Find a Hyundai i30 now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Mazda6 Sport sedan GJ series
"Classy looking, reliable and comfortable" – Ken Gratton

Find a used Mazda6 now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Holden Commodore SV6 Z Series sedan VE series II
"Big, brash Aussie sedan is improved with direct-injection V6" – Ken Gratton

Find a used Holden Commodore now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Hyundai ix35 Elite wagon LM2 series
"Great value for money for a high-spec model with sat nav; hard wearing and a functional all rounder" – Ross Booth

Find a used Hyundai ix35 now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Mazda CX-5 Maxx wagon KE series
"CX-5 rewrote the manual for mid-size SUVs in 2012; still a good thing" – Matt Brogan

Find a used Mazda CX-5 now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Toyota LandCruiser Prado GXL wagon KDJ150R series
"Good engine, exemplary off-roader" – Cliff Chambers

Find a used Toyota LandCruiser Prado now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Mazda MX-5 Touring soft-top NC series 2
"Reliable fun on a shoestring budget; owning it won't break the bank" – Ken Gratton

Find a used Mazda MX-5 now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Vogue TDV8 wagon L322 series
"Supremely comfortable, spacious interior, with great visibility, very safe" – Ross Booth

Find a used Range Rover Vogue now on Carsales

Winner: 2012 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 double-cab utility PX series
"Punchy driveline and respectable driving dynamics" – Ken Gratton

Find a used Ford Ranger now on carsales

Winner: 2012 Toyota LandCruiser GXL wagon VDJ200R series
"Still the king of the off-roaders and making advances in comfort too" – Cliff Chambers

Find a used Toyota LandCruiser GXL now on carsales

How did carsales.com.au and RedBook arrive at the finalists and winners for the Best Used Car awards?

Very early on in the process the matter was settled; RedBook data would decide the finalists for each of the 10 categories. These finalists were narrowed down to a single variant in each model family. As an example, the winner in the small car category was the Hyundai i30 – specifically the base-model i30 Active with the popular automatic transmission option.

The age ceiling for finalists was set at 2012. Stability control had become mandatory for passenger cars just a year earlier.

According to RedBook, a 2012 model may have travelled as little as 90,000km or less, since the average distance travelled per year is about 15,000km. The average age of the national vehicle parc is 10 years, so in theory a six-year old car should provide at least four more years of reliable, comfortable and cost-effective service for a second (or even third) owner.

Other criteria applied to the selection process included standard curtain airbags as a minimum, Bluetooth and – for SUVs – a reversing camera.

The RedBook data was weighted 10 per cent for resale value, 10 per cent for the respective ANCAP rating, 20 per cent for cost of ownership, five per cent for service intervals and five per cent for a 'demand and supply metric'.

That last criterion amounts to the length of time it takes a car to sell in the used market. Fewer days to sell is better, and it's an oblique way of capturing the popularity of a particular car.

Each expert judge was allocated up to 10 points for each finalist. That added up to a total possible score of 50 points for each car from the five judges. RedBook data was also scored out of 50, taking the combined total to 100 possible points for each vehicle.