You may have got quite a few things right when you bought a 2011 Chevrolet Volt at $41,000. But you have definitely made a ‘not-so-right’ choice if you think you can sell it after some time to get a newer car in your garage. Because, after a short 36-months span, that Volt will fetch you just around $17,000.

According to the Kelley Blue Book, the 2011 Chevy Volt will be worth slightly over $17,000 after just 36 months- the duration of a usual lease. That is a 58 per cent drop from the original price tag. Of course- as Eric Ibara, director of residual value consulting at Kelley pointed out- those who manage to get their hands on the first 200,000 units will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit; in which case the owners will retain up to 51 percent on the reduced $33,500 cost.

That does not seem too bad, considering the case with most rivals of the Volt. KBB calculates that the residual value of the Toyota Prius will drop to 46 percent in the same period, while the 2011 Ford Focus barely scrapes through with a residual 37.5 percent after 3 years. KBB will set the residual value for the Nissan Leaf sometime later this year.

The projected price for gas is held at $4/gallon after 36 months by the firm.

via cartechblog