USED car valuation experts reckon models in the latest Mazda6 range will be worth more than key rivals when they reach the secondhand car lots.

According to CAP Monitor, average depreciation across the line-up of mid-size family cars will be around £13,000 when they are three years old and have covered 60,000 miles.

The figure compares with predictions of £18,000, £17,000 and more than £14,000 quoted for upper-medium sector competitors like the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and Volkswagen Passat in the company car market.

"Mazda is reaping the benefits of producing stylish and well specified vehicles that are marketed with an eye on the list price. This gives an advantage in depreciation as well as to the benefit tax paid by company car drivers," says CAP forecast manager Jeff Knight.

Mazda fleet and remarketing director Peter Allibon says: "Throughout the past year, we have kept vehicle prices relatively stable across our product range in order to provide some consistency to our retail and fleet customers.

"This has resulted in improvements in the Mazda6 wholelife cost ranking within its segment, something that is critical to cost conscious fleets in today's economic environment.'

CAP valuers say the best-selling Mazda6 2.2d TS 163ps will retain 35 per cent of its £19,760 list price to be worth £6,850 at the end of the benchmark period to give a depreciation figure of £12,900.

And they claim the 2.2d TS 125ps model is also likely to retain 35 per cent of its initial price of £17,930 over the three-year, 60,000-mile period to be worth £6,175, representing depreciation of £11,705.