Toyota Tops J.D. Power's 2026 ALG Residual Value Awards

By Gilbert Smith

Sometimes all you can do is file the news under D, for "Duh". A recent JD Powerpress release confirms something that most American drivers already know: nothing holds its value like a Toyota. The brand came in first in the ALG (Automotive Lease Guide) Residual Value Awards, thanks in no small part to the overachieving Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks.

While the top dog of this year's ALG awards may have been easy to guess, that's not to say that there are no surprises in the winners' circle for 2026. Let's take a look and see who came out on top.

Six Toyotas Scored An ALG Award This Year

According to Danny Battaglia, JD Power's managing director of ALG customer success, "Strong wholesale retention, solid brand value, and a disciplined approach on rental fleet and incentives propelled Toyota to the top spot among mainstream brands".

The ALG Residual Value awards differ from – for instance – a JD Power reliability survey, in that they're awarded to specific standout models and brands, rather than serving as a simple top-to-bottom ranking. For Toyota, the vehicles that made the difference this year were the GR Supra, the GR86, the Camry, the Sequoia, the Tundra, and the Tacoma.

We can take a look at the estimated value retention for these vehicles via their latestJD Power resale scores, and their CarEdge five-year residual value estimates, rounded to the nearest whole percentage.
 

ALG typically refers to the value a car is expected to hold at the end of a lease and awards project value after 3–4 years of ownership. Assuming a five-year loan, this puts a lot of Toyotas well ahead of the pack, holding as much as three quarters of their initial MSRP once you're done making payment.

You Actually Won't Guess Which Brand Beat Lexus This Year

Last year, Lexus scored the top honors for residual value in the luxury segment. This year, the award goes to none other than Tesla. 2025 brought a lot of embarrassing headlines for the brand, but, at the end of the day, it's hard to argue with the value offered by the Model 3 and the Model Y. The Cybertruck, meanwhile, has its critics, but it also has its devotees, making it JD Power's favorite electric pickup to hold its value at the moment.

To run down the JD Power resale scores and residual values for Tesla's award-winners.

At a glance, it would appear that JD Power and CarEdge have a different take on the brand. Where JD Power's forecasts see Teslas holding their value remarkably well to the end of a loan agreement, CarEdge sees them bleeding value.

According to Danny Battaglia, "Tesla avoided the high incentives of other luxury battery electric vehicle brands in 2025. That helped earn it the top rank among luxury brands with the highest performers in three segments, including the refreshed Model Y, which included introduction of a lower-priced base version and additional content on mid-level trims."

In other words, Tesla has actually been going above and beyond in terms of providing long-term value over the last year or so. This has put them in JD Power'sgood graces, even if a look back at the last five years of depreciation on a Model 3 or a Model Y might not be so favorable.

A Look At The Winners' Circle

To go down the list of "top overall make-level performers," meaning sedans, coupes, you know, car type cars, here's what the leaderboard looks like for 2026.

Sources: JD Power, CarEdge.

Read the full article on CarBuzz

This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.