In fact, seven of the top 10 places were occupied by 4x4s or SUVs as British buyers rekindle their love affair with such vehicles following the recent backlash against "gas guzzlers".

Glass's expressed the residual values as a percentage of original list price for vehicles on a "57" plate with average mileage of 37,000 miles. The list shows the best-performing derivative for each model, with average annual depreciation based against the new list price.

The top 10 cars with the best residual values are:

1.   Volkswagen Tiguan (168bhp) SE 4Motion 5d – 68.0% – £2,394 average annual depreciation

2.   MINI 1.6 Cooper 3d – 65.9% – £1,462 average annual depreciation

3.   Honda CR-V 2.2 CTDi (138bhp) SE 5d – 64.3% – £2,356 average annual depreciation

4.   = Land Rover Freelander 2 GS Td4 auto – 63.8% – £2,965 average annual depreciation

4.   = Audi Q7 3.0TDI (237bhp) Quattro S Line Tip – 63.8% – £4,962 average annual depreciation

6.   Land Rover Discovery 3 2.7TD (190bhp) – 63.7% – £3,720 average annual depreciation

7.   Audi TT Coupe 2.0T FSI (197bhp) – 63.6% – £3,123 average annual depreciation

8.   Nissan Qashqai 1.6 (113bhp) 2WD Visia – 63.3% – £1,628 average annual depreciation

9.   Land Rover Range Rover 2.7TD Sport (187bhp) S Auto – 62.5% – £4,425 average annual depreciation

10. Audi A5 2.7TDI (187bhp) Sport Coupe Multitronic – 62.2% – £4,123 average annual depreciation

Adrian Rushmore, Glass's managing editor, commented: 'Buyers will have been impressed with how much better 4x4s  were able to cope with the winter weather, and through the media we were even presented with heroic stories about 4x4s pulling other cars out of trouble or getting through the snow to people who were otherwise stranded.'

'Land Rover is still firmly the residual value king, with three of their models appearing in the top 10. Models from Toyota, Porsche and BMW are hovering just below the top 10, but the feedback from the market is that just about anything with four-wheel-drive capability is in demand. Even two-wheel-drive versions of some SUVs are now finding favour and the Nissan Qashqai is a prime example.'

He noted that superminis are absent from the top 10 list this year due to the Scrappage Scheme coming to an end, commenting: 'As demand for these exceeded supply, many buyers simply opted for a used model instead, which temporarily inflated residual values.'