Getting a car valuation lets you know how much you can sell your car. The process has even become easier as users can use online car valuation to check the value of a car directly from a computer or phone. Having information like this ensures that you get the right trade in value and the right price to sell your used car.
Top Online Car Valuation- Get a Car Valuation Online
Using free online car value calculators is useful and easy but results should be considered as estimates. As such price should be seen as an indicative guide to the price you will receive. However, using an average value should be the best way to get the right car evaluation.
These services represent some of the UK’s most popular car valuation services:
Parkers car valuation
On this site, you can get a free car valuation suing the number plate at Parkers. Their service offers a fair price for your car. The service also adjusts using stats such as mileage, condition, and optional extras.
The Parkers premium valuation comes at an extra cost of £3.49. Parkers always list the original price of the car when new and the used price you would expect to pay for it today at a franchised/ brand or independent dealer or through a private seller.
Parkers car valuation further helps users get a valuation from a database of used cars and the real-time value of cars.
Auto Trader car valuation
Auto Trader provides an instant price for buyers, sellers. It is a simple car valuator that relies on own private sale prices from the Auto Trader its website.
Many prices you see on the Auto Trader website will be from car dealers, selling at retail prices where the car has been checked, verified and will often have warranties in places. This data is worked into the Auto Trader valuation.
Auto Trader car valuation prices should, therefore, be seen as a ‘best case’, private sale valuation. The price you see will be reachable, but unlike car-buying website valuations, it may be difficult to achieve quickly, particularly if the car is older than 5 years old and has more than 50,000 miles on the clock.
CAP HPI car valuation
Buying a car, selling a car or just curious about the value of a car? Unlike many valuation calculators who only offer one price, HPI Valuations provide four market values depending on who is buying or selling the car. CAP HPI is offered by HPI Ltd, the company behind the HPI Check. It can, therefore, be highly trusted.
Retail valuation is for the brand new cars. When the car was sitting un-driven at the car dealership
Private sale valuation this is the market value of your car when buying or selling to a private person (i.e. not a business of any kind).
Trade-in car valuation is the price a car dealer will offer you as part payment of another car.
Factors That Affects Online Car Valuation
Below are some of the factors that can reduce your valuation at online car valuation sites.
- Age of car: This is the most influential factor that affects car valuation. This lowers the value of older your car buyers prefer new cars to old used cars. The exception to this factor is old classic cars that get valuable with age.
- Mileage: Further driven cars will lower the valuation. There is rarely a car that has increased in value with mileage. Because it is regarded that as the car covers more miles, it is due to wear on the car’s engine, parts, body, and interior.
- Car condition: any damage to your car (either internal or external) will mean a lower valuation. When ‘car damage’ is specified, this is not about wear and tear (which is expected and normally already baked into your online valuation). It is about damaged bodywork or mechanical issues that either harm or reduce the effective operation of the vehicle or harm its visual aesthetic.
Pros of Online Car Valuation
- It gives the car owner a price to use for negotiation.
- They are usually close to a normal valuation
- You can track the devaluation of your car with regular check
Cons of Online Car Valuation
- Valuation is not based on the sight of the car
- Online car valuation uses algorithms
Bottom Line
Online Car valuation is still worth checking out with a car dealer. As different their method may be, valuations of both are sometimes close. It can also provide useful information to negotiate with a dealer.
It is encouraged car owners to use these tools to negotiate trade in their used cars.
