HondaThe U.S. truck market is significant, accounting for about 15% of all new vehicle sales in recent years, but the Honda Ridgeline occupies a unique niche in this segment. It's the only midsized unibody pickup. There are unibody trucks (Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz) and midsized body-on-frame pickups (like the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger), yet only the Ridgeline brings the two characteristics together. However, it's not everyone's cup of tea, as Honda sold around 41,000 Ridgelines in 2021. That's about how many F-Series trucks Ford sold every three weeks that year.Nonetheless, new Ridgelines aren't necessarily inexpensive compared to some other trucks. The cheapest Sport trim starts north of $42,000 in 2026, which is about $7,000 more than a base Ranger. So, the wallet-minded may want to turn to a secondhand Ridgeline with the 2021 model year being a sweet spot. It's still a relatively modern truck with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and offers the benefits of depreciation. CarEdge and iSeeCars estimate the loss of value at about 34% to 37%.We'll explore these numbers to better understand the Ridgeline's depreciation, including how the 2021 model year values compare with more recent models. And because the real world matters, we'll see how these depreciation estimates hold up against what 2021 Ridgelines are selling for on dealers' lots. Even though the Ridgeline doesn't have a direct competitor, there are other trucks on the market. So, we'll check the depreciation rates for the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, and Ford Ranger. Any MSRPs mentioned in this article include factory destination charges.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: These Were The First Cars Ever Made By The World's Best-Known AutomakersHonda Ridgeline depreciationHondaWe cover vehicle depreciation a fair amount at Jalopnik, so it's not unusual when two different sources for depreciation estimates don't quite sync. iSeeCars forecasts 5-year depreciation for the 2021 Ridgeline at 37.5%, while CarEdge says the valuation drop is 34.1%. That 3.4% separation may not seem like much, but on a mid-grade Ridgeline RTL trim that had an MSRP of $40,695, that works out to an almost $1,400 difference. It's worth noting, however, that the CarEdge estimate is based on the outlet's average current market prices for the 2021 model, not its generalized projected depreciation rate for 5-year-old models, which is closer to the iSeeCars number.Looking at other model years, the depreciation rate for the 2023 Ridgeline is 25.3%, according to iSeeCars. Meanwhile, CarEdge projects a 3-year depreciation rate of 28.7%, a narrower gap than with the 2021 model year (again, based on current market prices). Predictably, the 2022 Ridgeline's 31.4% loss in value, reports CarEdge, splits the difference between CarEdge's forecasts for 2021 and 2023 (iSeeCars doesn't track 4-year depreciation). A new, boxier Ridgeline is being teased for 2028, but no one knows how a new-generation edition will impact resale values.Let's get back to valuations for the 2021 Ridgeline. Using good condition examples (average mileage and no adverse history) as a benchmark, dealer listings on CarGurus range between $25,000 and $30,000, depending on trim. Pricing for the RTL grade hovers around $26,000, which calculates to a 5-year depreciation rate of 36.1% (based on that original MSRP of $40,695). That figure aligns very closely with iSeeCars and CarEdge estimates.Honda Ridgeline depreciation versus competitorsToyotaWhile the Ridgeline may not have a direct competitor, looking at depreciation rates for other midsized trucks can provide some insights into buying a secondhand pickup. Depreciation, or lack thereof, for a Toyota Tacoma is an outlier. The truck ranks among the top vehicles of any type for retained value, according to iSeeCars. That translates into a 5-year depreciation rate of about 20% for a 2021 Tacoma. Yet, marketplace listings work out to be even more conservative. A lower-trim SR5 Double Cab with a regular bed sells for $32,000 to $34,000, the equivalent of an 8% to 13.4% depreciation rate from the original MSRP of $36,939.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn a Toyota Tacoma vs. Nissan Frontier matchup, the Nissan takes a much larger depreciation hit. Both iSeeCars and CarEdge estimate a 2021 Frontier drops in value by about 36% over 5 years. Used Crew Cab examples in the mid-tier SV grade came originally with a $33,440 sticker price and now mostly sell for $21,000 to $22,000. Crunching these numbers yields a 34.2% to 37.2% drop in value, which is on target with the estimates and similar to the Ridgeline's depreciation. The 2022 model year marked the debut of the current-generation Frontier.Depreciation for the 2021 Ford Ranger sits between the Tacoma and the Ridgeline, with projected 5-year value declines of 27.7% (CarEdge, using current market prices) to 30% (iSeeCars). In 2021, the middle-of-the-pack XLT came with a $36,190 window sticker. As a used truck, this typically sells in the $25,000 to $26,000 range, which works out to a 28.2% to 30.6% depreciation rate and is in line with the estimates.Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and follow us or add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on Jalopnik.