Pick a recent list that recaps positive attributes about brands and vehicles, and you’ll likely find Toyota, Tesla and Honda at or near the top of those highlights.

Now you can add Black Book’s first Brand Value Index (BVI) of 2025 to those evaluations.

Toyota led the way followed by Tesla and Honda in the index that evaluates mainstream and premium automotive brands based on used-car wholesale valuations.

The performance by these three brands in Black Book’s analysis surfaced on Monday, after Kelley Blue Book recognized those three OEMs last week through its 23rd annual Best Resale Value Awards.

Black Book said Subaru, GMC and Ram make up the remaining three brands in positive BVI territory, while Kia and Volkswagen are just barely in the negative BVI side.

“Notably, Tesla’s reclassification as a mainstream brand reflects strong competition with traditional players like Toyota and Honda, while brand volatility highlights the evolving automotive market landscape,” Eric Lyman, Black Book’s vice president, product – auto finance, wrote in the full report that can be found via this website.

“The discontinued Kia Optima will be a drag on Kia’s BVI score throughout 2025 until it is dropped from inclusion next year. The Optima’s influence is such that its absence almost guarantees Kia will pop into positive territory in 2026,” continued Lyman, who is among the experts set to appear during the Auto Intel Summit set for April 8-10 in Cary, N.C.

Lyman pointed out that emerging brand VinFast ranked last among mainstream brands due to limited data but aims to stabilize through direct-to-consumer strategies.

“Like most emerging brands and models, there may be short-term volatility in early returns in the wholesale market,” Lyman wrote about VinFast, an Asian electric vehicle company that is setting up a manufacturing site in North Carolina.

“While the brand stumbled out of the gates in the U.S. market, there is opportunity in building awareness and leveraging a direct-to-consumer sales model to help manage valuation dynamics in the used market,” Lyman continued. “VinFast has taken action to address product and awareness issues recently and made difficult but necessary decisions adjust production targets to establish a stronger position in the new and used market.”

In the premium segment, Black Book said Porsche dominated the index ranking, followed by Rivian and Ineos.

“Porsche stands alone above the crowd with an impressive score of 25% in premium sector BVI,” Lyman wrote. “It may be surprising for some to learn that the single biggest contributor to BVI for Porsche is the Macan Compact Utility vehicle which adds over 9 percentage points to the brands BVI score.

“Ineos makes the podium for its debut in BVI just behind Rivian. Similar to VinFast on the mainstream side, these initial results will likely change as vehicles proliferate in the used market,” Lyman continued.

Many well-known premium nameplates landed in negative territory within Black Book’s index, including Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Lincoln, Cadillac and Jaguar.

“Mercedes-Benz, while still in negative BVI territory, can take solace in performance about 10 percentage points above their core German competitors in BMW and Audi,” Lyman said.

Lyman also touched on vehicles that were either all-new or redesigned for the 2024 model year and their impact in the BVI, highlighting the early success of an SUV from one of the domestic automakers.

“The Chevrolet Trax experienced the biggest lift versus competitors representing a big win for the bow tie brand. The Trax is vital to bringing new customers into the Chevrolet fold, especially now that the brand has discontinued all small passenger cars from its lineup,” Lyman wrote.

“Also noteworthy are the results of the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma in the small pickup segment,” he continued. “The Tacoma has a reputation as one of the strongest performers in the industry when it comes to retained value, however competitors have made inroads in recent years with refined interiors, improved styling and off-road prowess.

“Initial used market wholesale valuations for the 2024 model year show that the Ford Ranger has significantly closed the gap with the Tacoma,” Lyman added.