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Vespa Scooters Retain Over 72 Percent of Their Value After 3 Years of Ownership

Vespa GTS scooter
Image from Piaggio Group

The Scooters Retain Their Value Better Than Anything Else

Can you think of a vehicle that would retain 72.1 percent of its value over three years of ownership? According to data from J.D. Power and Associates, Vespa scooters do just that.

This year was the first year that J.D. Power tracked resale value and published a study on its findings. The published study was only on cars, but The New York Times reported that data in the study extended to two-wheeled vehicles, too. The brand sitting at the top of the heap was Vespa, which is owned by Piaggio Group.

Vespa’s 72.1 percent retained value wasn’t just a little better than other vehicle manufacturers, it outpaced them considerably. For comparison, the average value retention for four-wheeled vehicles rests at 55.7 percent.

The New York Times noted Vespas hold their value better than any other vehicle you can buy today, whether it has four wheels or two.

What Vespas Retain Their Value the Best?

When it comes to individual scooter models to pay attention to from a value retainment standpoint, look to the Sprint 150 and the GTS 300. Both of those bikes retain 79 percent of their value after a three-year period.

There are a lot of factors that influence value retention. The New York Times points to the fact that the scooter company is one of the only premium players in the scooter market.

Sure, you can buy a lower-priced high-quality scooter from Honda, Yamaha, Genuine Scooter Co., or just about any other major manufacturer. You can also buy lower quality and much cheaper scooters from numerous Chinese manufacturers, but none of those brands have Vespa’s brand cachet.

Vespa is a luxury marque, and its prices reflect that. The scooter company attracts a particular part of the market. The brand has been the first that people think of when they think scooters since the 1950s. Pair that with a stylish, classic design and Piaggio’s reputation for reliability, and it makes sense why the scooters retain their value so well.

The Vespa name is almost as much an Italian luxury iconic fashion brand as Versace, Prada, Gucci, or Fendi. Heck, half of those brands use Vespa scooters in their advertisements. When you take all that into account, it becomes clear why the company’s products retain their value so well.