TOYOTA'S Avensis is giving German rivals a run for their money in the residual value stakes after a year-and-a-half on sale, according to CAP Black Book. However, the firm's contender for the territory dominated by the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra is expected to lose the fight to retain the highest proportion of its new value over three years/60,000 miles.

It drops to 35% of its new value after the traditional fleet replacement benchmark is reached, 14% behind the equivalent BMW 318i, 9% behind the Mercedes C180 and 5% behind the Audi A41.8-litre. But it stands head and shoulders above the Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX and the Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS, which are both on 30%. If a fleet were selling a vehicle now, a one-year-old 1998 R 1.8 GS Toyota Avensis Liftback with 30,000 miles on the clock would have retained a trade value of 62% of list price, close to the BMW 318i on 70%. This compares to the Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX at 48% and Vauxhall Vectra at 46%.

David Turner, Japanese Car Section editor of CAP Black Book, said: 'The Avensis is very good news whether you are in the trade or an ordinary motorist. It is not a secret that smaller numbers mean higher values, but Toyota is also doing its best to ensure that used Avensis are staying within the dealer network which helps slow down depreciation.'