When you’re shopping for a vehicle, you have many options available. These include pickup trucks, sedans, hatchbacks, and SUVs, all in varying sizes, making the choice even more complex. Beyond that, you also have to choose between a standard car and a luxury car. You might think that spending a little extra money on the luxury model isn’t worth it, but there are a number of high-end standard features that make the decision easier.

Lower Depreciation Rates

For some buyers, dropping the cash on a car is the cause of a lot of stress because of the immediate depreciation hit that occurs, especially on a new car. In fact, your car could decrease in value by half within the first four years of ownership. But luxury models have lower rates of depreciation than their standard counterparts, making the purchase a little less risky. While the amount you spend on a luxury car is typically higher than what you’d spend on a standard model, you’ll recoup some of that when the car loses less value over several years.

Improved Safety

The majority of luxury automobiles come standard with the best safety features money can buy. Some of the earlier luxury cars came with antilock brakes and electronic stability control long before these features appeared in standard cars. Today, you can get even more innovative features, such as blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning with intervention, forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and surround-view cameras that give you a clear view of what’s behind your car and what’s in your blind spot. With these upgraded features, a luxury car is often safer than a standard model.

Quality of Materials

The components used to build a luxury car are typically of higher quality and craftsmanship than those used for standard cars. In a luxury vehicle, the leather upholstery feels softer and more supple, the display screen is easy to read and operate, and the doors even feel more solid when you open and close them. When you climb in the base model or even a mid-level trim of a standard car, you’ll often notice the use of cheaper plastics and flimsy materials that don’t feel as nice.

Maintaining Your Image

When you show up for a job interview or on a sales call in a nice luxury automobile, you’ll project the image that you work hard and take care of yourself. Driving a high-end car also helps to improve the experience, whether you’re commuting to work or picking up kids. With performance-based features and a smoother ride, you can even take a luxury car on a road trip without feeling cramped or uncomfortable. If you love a sporty feel when you drive, it’s easy to find a luxury model that includes a tighter suspension and racing elements.

Luxury cars outperform standard cars in just about every area, making them well worth the increased cost. When you’re shopping for your next car, add a luxury model into the mix to see just how much it can offer.