Robots are capital assets, and capital assets depreciate. But the depreciation curve for robots varies more dramatically than almost any other asset class. A Roborock S8 Pro Ultra loses 8% of its value per year. A FANUC R-2000iB loses perhaps 5% per year over a 15-year service life. A Unitree Go2 Pro has gained value on the secondhand market. Understanding these differences is not academic -- it directly determines whether you are making a good purchase decision and what your asset will be worth when you come to resell it.
This guide covers depreciation by robot category, identifies the models that hold value best and worst in the UK, and explains how to apply depreciation data when making buying and selling decisions.
> Quick Answer: Robot depreciation varies wildly by category. Robot vacuums depreciate 6-12% per year. Cobots depreciate 8-15% in years one to three, then slow to 4-8% per year. Industrial arms depreciate steadily at 5-10% per year over 10-15 year service lives. Humanoids and quadrupeds are appreciating in some cases due to supply constraints and growing demand. The best used value is found in categories where new prices are high, depreciation is front-loaded, and the used unit performs identically to new.
Robot Depreciation by Category
Consumer Robot Vacuums
Depreciation rate: 6-12% per year for premium brands; 20-40% in year one for budget brands
Robot vacuums are the most liquid segment of the UK used robot market. Supply is high (returned units, upgrades, gifts that were not wanted), demand is broad, and prices are transparent through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and robot-specific platforms.
Premium brands (Roborock, Dyson, iRobot Roomba j-series) depreciate at 6-12% per year when functioning correctly. A Roborock S8 Pro Ultra retailing at £999 new typically sells used for £700-£800 at one year, £550-£650 at two years, and £380-£500 at three years. Side brushes, main brushes, and filters are consumable costs that sellers absorb by pricing down, and buyers should factor replacement consumable costs into any used purchase.
Budget robot vacuums (Eufy, ILIFE, lesser-known Chinese brands) depreciate far more aggressively. A £200 robot vacuum from a brand with limited UK support may be worth £60-£80 at two years. The absence of software updates and the unavailability of spare parts accelerate value loss in the budget segment.
Best value window: 12-24 months old. The robot has enough real-world operation to reveal any reliability issues, but is not yet showing significant mechanical wear. Sellers who upgrade after one full cleaning season provide the best supply of well-maintained used units.
Cobots (Collaborative Robots)
Depreciation rate: 8-15% per year for years 1-3; 4-8% per year thereafter
Cobots depreciate steeply in the first three years, then plateau. This creates a clear sweet spot for buyers: a two to four year old cobot is typically at 55-70% of new price, has had its early-life issues resolved (firmware stability, integration bugs), and still has the majority of its working life remaining.
Universal Robots cobots hold value better than most Chinese alternatives (Dobot, Jaka, Elephant Robotics) because of ecosystem depth: UK integrator availability, PolyScope software maturity, and the resale liquidity created by widespread deployment. A three-year-old UR5e sells for £12,000-£17,000 versus £28,000 new. A three-year-old Dobot CR5 sells for £4,000-£7,000 versus £12,000 new -- a steeper percentage decline.
The controller generation matters here. e-Series cobots depreciate more slowly than CB3 units because the technology gap between them and the current generation is smaller. CB3 units are no longer manufactured, which increases the depreciation rate as the technology gap widens.
Depreciation accelerants:
- Controller generation gap (CB3 vs e-Series)
- High joint cycle count
- Damage to teach pendant or cabling
- Missing safety certification documentation
- Discontinued model with limited ecosystem support
Industrial Robot Arms
Depreciation rate: 5-10% per year over 10-15 year service life
Industrial robot arms are the most durable of all robot categories and hold absolute values well over very long service lives. A FANUC M-10iA purchased new in 2014 at £28,000 might sell today for £10,000-£14,000 -- significant percentage depreciation over twelve years, but the robot may have a further ten years of useful life ahead of it.
The long service life of industrial robots means depreciation is distributed over a much longer period than consumer electronics. This is why industrial robot ROI calculations hold up even on used units: you are buying 10-15 years of productive capacity, not 2-3 years.
FANUC holds value better than equivalent Yaskawa models, primarily due to perceived reliability differences and the density of UK FANUC expertise. ABB IRB 6700 series holds value particularly well due to its automotive industry demand.
Controller generation is the primary depreciation driver: a robot with a current-generation controller (R-30iB Plus for FANUC, KRC4+ for KUKA) is worth meaningfully more than the same arm with a two-generation-old controller.
Best value window: 5-8 years old with a current-generation controller. The robot has proven its reliability, the new model premium is fully absorbed, but the arm has the majority of its mechanical life remaining.
Quadruped Robots (Robot Dogs)
Depreciation rate: Variable; some models appreciating
Quadruped robots are one of the most unusual categories for depreciation analysis because supply constraints and rapidly growing demand have created appreciation in some models.
Boston Dynamics Spot: Spot holds its value exceptionally well. New units cost £50,000-£70,000. Used Spot units in good condition sell for £30,000-£50,000, representing 30-40% depreciation over 2-3 years -- slower than most robot categories. Spot's premium position is supported by Boston Dynamics' software ecosystem, the inability to obtain Spot at a lower price point, and genuine utility for inspection applications.
Unitree Go2 Pro: The Go2 Pro has appreciated approximately 18% on the used market from its launch price. This is a supply-driven anomaly: international demand significantly exceeds supply, and used units are scarce. This situation will normalise as production scales, but currently buyers are competing for used units at above-retail prices.
Unitree Go1 (discontinued): The Go1 has depreciated sharply -- approximately 40-50% from original price -- following the Go2 release. This follows the standard pattern of used prices collapsing when a successor launches.
Legged Robots general: Quadruped depreciation will likely normalise as supply increases. Current appreciation in Unitree models is a market dislocation, not a structural feature of the category.
Humanoid Robots
Depreciation rate: Highly variable; early commercial units depreciating rapidly
Humanoid robots present an unusual depreciation profile because the market is so new and commercial models are being superseded rapidly.
Early Agility Robotics Digit units (V2 and V3) have depreciated sharply as V4 and V5 released with significant capability improvements. The previous-generation units still have research and development utility but limited commercial deployment value.
The general pattern for humanoids at this stage of market development: units at the technology frontier appreciate or hold value; units that are superseded by materially improved successors depreciate heavily. This is identical to early smartphone market dynamics.
For buyers, this means humanoid purchases carry the highest value uncertainty of any robot category. Buying for a specific commercial application provides a hedge against depreciation -- the robot's value is the value it creates, not its resale price. Buying speculatively is higher risk.
AMRs and Warehouse Robots
Depreciation rate: 8-12% per year for years 1-3; 5-8% thereafter
AMRs depreciate at rates comparable to cobots. MiR units show relatively stable used prices due to strong UK demand and limited used supply -- most MiR deployments are multi-year contracts that delay units reaching the secondhand market.
Battery state of health is a significant AMR depreciation factor that does not apply to arm robots. An AMR with depleted battery packs can be worth 20-30% less than an identical unit with healthy batteries, even if the mechanical and software condition is identical.
Fleet software licence status also affects value: an AMR with a non-transferable or expired fleet licence is worth significantly less than one with a clear transfer path.
Depreciation Table Summary
| Category | Year 1 Residual | Year 3 Residual | Year 5 Residual | Year 10 Residual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer robot vacuums (premium) | 70-80% | 55-65% | 40-52% | 20-30% |
| Consumer robot vacuums (budget) | 50-65% | 30-45% | 15-30% | Near zero |
| Cobots (UR, FANUC CRX) | 75-85% | 60-70% | 50-60% | 25-40% |
| Cobots (Chinese brands) | 65-75% | 48-58% | 38-48% | 15-28% |
| Industrial arms (FANUC, ABB) | 82-88% | 70-78% | 58-68% | 35-50% |
| Industrial arms (Yaskawa, others) | 78-85% | 65-73% | 52-62% | 28-42% |
| Quadrupeds (Boston Dynamics Spot) | 85-92% | 70-80% | 58-68% | 35-50% |
| Quadrupeds (Unitree Go2 Pro) | 95-118%* | -- | -- | -- |
| Humanoids (early commercial) | 70-85% | 50-65% | 35-50% | Unknown |
| AMRs (MiR, OTTO) | 76-84% | 62-72% | 50-62% | 28-42% |
*Unitree Go2 Pro is currently trading above new price due to supply constraints. This is expected to normalise.
Best Time to Buy Each Category
Consumer robot vacuums: January (post-Christmas stock clearance and unwanted gifts), and late August-September (households buying new before autumn). Used listings peak in January on platforms like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
Cobots: Q1 (January-March) sees the highest supply as businesses completing capital upgrades in their financial year Q4 begin disposing of decommissioned units. This is particularly true for UK businesses with March year-ends.
Industrial robots: Q1 for the same reasons. Plant closures and line reconfigurations often conclude in Q4, with disposal occurring in Q1. Automotive plant shutdowns (which release large quantities of FANUC and KUKA units) tend to cluster around model year changeovers.
Quadrupeds and humanoids: Supply is too thin and unpredictable to identify seasonal patterns. Buy when you find the right unit at the right price. Waiting for a seasonal dip risks the unit selling to another buyer.
AMRs: Q1 and Q3 see slightly higher supply from distribution centre operators completing their logistics network reconfigurations. The difference is marginal compared to industrial robot seasonality.
Models That Hold Value vs Models That Do Not
Strong Value Retention
- Universal Robots UR5e and UR10e: Deep ecosystem, liquid used market, consistent demand
- FANUC M-10iA and M-20iB: Automotive-grade reliability, long service life, strong UK support
- ABB IRB 6700: Automotive demand, heavy payload capability, excellent build quality
- Boston Dynamics Spot: Premium position, limited supply, genuine inspection utility
- Roborock S-series flagships: Brand strength, parts availability, software update support
Weaker Value Retention
- Budget Chinese robot vacuums: Limited UK support, no parts ecosystem, rapid technology obsolescence
- CB3 Universal Robots (UR3, UR5, UR10): Discontinued, technology gap vs e-Series widening
- Early humanoid iterations (Digit V2-V3, early Unitree H1): Superseded by materially better successors
- AGV systems with proprietary infrastructure: Infrastructure-dependent systems have limited portability; removing physical guides destroys most of the value
- Robots from brands that exit the UK market: No parts, no software updates, no support
How to Use Depreciation Data When Buying
Calculate the True Cost of Ownership
Do not evaluate a robot purchase on purchase price alone. Calculate:
- Total acquisition cost: purchase price plus inspection, transport, and commissioning
- Annual running cost: maintenance, consumables, spare parts, software subscriptions
- Estimated residual value at your planned disposal point
The difference between acquisition cost and residual value, divided by operating years, gives you an annual cost of ownership figure that is comparable across new and used options.
Identify Front-Loaded Depreciation
Categories with steep first-year depreciation (cobots, some consumer robots) offer buying opportunities at the two to four year mark. The new buyer absorbs the steepest depreciation; the used buyer gets a functionally equivalent asset at a lower basis.
Factor Technology Obsolescence into Used Cobot Purchases
For cobots specifically, technology generations matter more than for industrial arms. A five-year-old FANUC M-10iA is not meaningfully inferior to a new one for most applications. A five-year-old cobot may lack force-torque sensing, updated safety certifications, or software compatibility with current vision systems. Evaluate this specifically for your application rather than assuming all used cobots are equivalent.
Timing Your Exit
If you plan to resell a used robot, understand the depreciation curve and time your exit before a new model announcement or before battery/joint wear reaches a threshold that triggers a significant discount. For cobots, the sweet spot for resale is typically years two to four. For industrial arms, service records and documented maintenance history maintain value better than any other factor.
The Robot Resale Index
The Robot Resale Index is Robot AutoTrader's proprietary model tracking secondhand prices for over 200 robot models in the UK market. It aggregates transaction data from UK sales, dealer pricing, and auction results to provide:
- Current market value ranges by model and condition
- Depreciation curves by category and brand
- Seasonal pricing patterns
- New model impact analysis (price movements following product announcements)
The index is updated monthly and is accessible free of charge. It is the fastest way to benchmark any used robot price in the UK market against real transaction data.
If you are buying a used robot and want to verify the asking price, the Resale Index provides the market context you need. If you are selling, it shows where to price to sell quickly versus where to price for maximum return.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast do robots depreciate? Consumer robot vacuums: 6-12% per year (premium brands). Cobots: 8-15% years 1-3, then 4-8%. Industrial arms: 5-10% over 10-15 years. Humanoids: highly variable. Some quadrupeds are currently appreciating due to supply constraints.
Which robots hold their value best? Industrial arms (FANUC, ABB) hold absolute value best over long service lives. Boston Dynamics Spot holds relative value well. Universal Robots cobots depreciate more slowly than Chinese alternatives due to ecosystem depth.
Which robots depreciate fastest? Budget consumer robot vacuums from lesser-known brands. Early-generation humanoids superseded by materially better successors. CB3 Universal Robots as the technology gap to e-Series widens.
What is the Robot Resale Index? The Robot Resale Index is Robot AutoTrader's proprietary UK used robot pricing model, tracking secondhand values for over 200 models updated monthly from real UK transaction data.
When is the best time to buy a used robot? Cobots and industrial arms: Q1 (January-March). Consumer robot vacuums: January and late August-September. Quadrupeds and humanoids: when you find the right unit -- supply is too thin for seasonal timing to matter.
Does brand affect robot depreciation? Yes. Universal Robots cobots depreciate more slowly than Chinese cobots due to ecosystem depth. FANUC industrial arms hold value better than Yaskawa due to the FANUC reliability premium. For consumer robots, Roborock currently holds value better than iRobot in the UK market.
What happens to used prices when a new model releases? Previous-generation models typically drop 10-20% immediately on announcement. The effect is largest for consumer robots (where accessories and consumables become incompatible) and smallest for industrial arms (where buyers care about application fit over generation currency).
Where can I browse used robots by current price? Browse the full UK used robot market on Robot AutoTrader or search by model in the robot database. For detailed model-by-model pricing, use the Robot Resale Index.