Four Private Jets That Best Retain Their Value, According to BlackJet

Private aviation company BlackJet has named four jets it says best retain their value across different size categories, against a backdrop of private jets typically losing around 35% of their original value within the first five years of ownership. The list spans light, super-midsize, heavy/large-cabin and ultra-long-range aircraft.

In the light-jet segment, the Embraer Phenom 300E carries a new price of $10.5M–$11.5M and trades pre-owned for $6.0M–$9.5M. It seats 6–8 passengers, has a range of 2,010 nautical miles, cruises at 464 knots, and has been the world's best-selling light jet for more than a decade, with a large global fleet supporting strong secondary-market liquidity. For super-midsize buyers, the Embraer Praetor 600 lists new at $21M–$23M and pre-owned at $16M–$19M, carries 8–10 passengers up to 4,018 nautical miles — enough for non-stop transatlantic routes — at a price $5M–$8M below comparable competing models, and features active turbulence reduction technology.

In the heavy/large-cabin category, the Bombardier Challenger 3500 sells new for $27M–$29M and pre-owned for $20M–$25M, accommodates 9–10 passengers over 3,400 nautical miles, offers the widest cabin in its class, and has dispatch reliability exceeding 99.8%. At the ultra-long-range end, the Gulfstream G650ER commands $70M–$75M new but can be found pre-owned for $32M–$50M, seats 13–19 passengers, and has a range of 7,500 nautical miles at speeds of Mach 0.90 or higher. BlackJet notes that late-model pre-owned G650ERs represent a value sweet spot in the ultra-long-range class relative to newer competitors such as the G700. Beyond model selection, BlackJet says buyers seeking to minimize depreciation should focus on aircraft from manufacturers with multi-year production backlogs, high global production volumes, standardized cabins, and current avionics and environmental compliance, and notes that jet card programs and on-demand charter remain alternatives for travelers who want private-aviation access without ownership costs.

The four models BlackJet singles out share a common thread: scale. Best-selling production runs, standardized cabins and large global fleets create deep pools of pre-owned buyers and parts support, which is what actually slows depreciation rather than any single design feature. That is why a light jet like the Phenom 300E and an ultra-long-range aircraft like the G650ER can both appear on the same list despite a price gap running into tens of millions of dollars.

This is how the pre-owned business-jet market generally functions: liquidity comes from fleet size and manufacturer backlog, not just capability. A jet with a wide cabin or long range but a small production run can still depreciate faster if buyers can't easily resell it, while high-volume models with current avionics and environmental compliance keep clearing at narrower discounts to new pricing.

What happens next in each category depends on how new competing models — such as the G700 in the ultra-long-range class — reprice the secondary market for aircraft like the G650ER. Buyers weighing ownership against jet card programs or on-demand charter are, in effect, weighing that same depreciation curve against paying for access without holding the asset at all.