LEASING companies are setting class-leading residual values for the new Honda Civic 5-door according to figures obtained from a basket of leading players. The latest Yew Tree Consulting survey of figures from 40 leading contract hire companies indicate that the Civic could be worth up to 25% more than its rivals after three years/60,000 miles.

The 1.4 commanded used values of more than 40% of cost new in its debut appearance on Yew Tree's list - reflecting earlier figures from Fleet Audits which placed the Civic among the front-runners in its class.

A Honda spokesman said: 'These results reflect the leasing companies' confidence in the build quality of the Civic 5-door - and justify Honda's strategy of controlled growth without flooding the market.'