The findings, from value experts Glass’s Guide and reported by industry magazine Auto Trader, show the trendy city car is seventh best among cars that lose their value the least.

The Fiat 500 1.2 Sport is picked out for particular praise, thanks to “a fun character and good fuel economy, without having to resort to a distinctly un-chic diesel engine”.

A few months ago, the 500 Abarth was actually ranked in third place by Auto Trader. The top two models were the Audi Q5 and Skoda Yeti. It may surprise some that a Skoda is so depreciation-resistant, but one look at the prices of used ones on the Auto Trader website will confirm just how well they hold their value.

Just one word of warning though. Depreciation nowadays is specific to individual models, not necessarily to brands. Don’t let a sales person point to the great resale values of a Fiat 500 and imply that a Bravo will be similar. Larger Fiats still do a passable imitation of a lemming jumping off a cliff when it comes to resale values.