That’s pretty much a best-case scenario. That means the Volkswagen Golf R that you’ve put £35,000 into will be worth £21,000 after 36 months, so it will cost you close to £5000 in depreciation alone every single year.

No matter how you buy your new car – with cash, on finance or on a lease contract – you as the first owner will bear that cost. You can reduce your depreciation liability by buying a second-hand car, perhaps one that is already three years old and has slipped down the steepest part of the depreciation curve with somebody else’s name on the V5 document.

But the car will still lose value. As we’ll show you, it is possible to buy a first-rate driver’s car that will hold onto its value: