Car Resale Value Calculator
Estimate what your car is worth today from what it cost new, how old it is, its mileage and condition.
- Private sale range
- $15,859 – $18,246
- Typical dealer trade-in
- $13,983 – $15,688
- Value lost since new
- $18,948
Get a plain-English read of your numbers, or ask anything about depreciation, when to sell or lease vs buy. Nothing is sent until you press Ask.
How the resale estimate works
We start with the price when new and apply the average depreciation curve for the vehicle type up to its current age. Then we adjust for mileage against a 12,000-miles-a-year baseline (3,000 for motorcycles, 100 engine hours for boats) and for condition: excellent adds about 5%, fair takes off about 10%, poor about 22%.
Trade-in offers usually land 8–18% below private-sale value because the dealer has to inspect, recondition, advertise and still make a margin. A private sale is more work, but that gap is real money.
Before you sell
- Collect service records and both keys; missing ones cost more than they should.
- Fix cheap, visible problems (bulbs, wipers, warning lights). Skip big cosmetic jobs that cost more than they return.
- Price against real listings for the same year, trim and mileage in your area.
Same car, same age. Mileage alone swings the price by roughly $4,945 across this range; condition moves it by up to a quarter. Age sets the baseline, but these two are what buyers haggle over.
Questions people ask
How do I estimate my car's resale value?
Start from the original price, apply the typical depreciation for its age and type, then adjust for mileage and condition. This calculator does exactly that. For a sale, compare the estimate with current local listings for the same model, year and trim.
What is a good resale value for a car?
Keeping more than about 50% of the new price after five years is considered strong; the average is around 40%. Trucks, rugged SUVs and reliable Japanese brands often beat that.
Trade-in or private sale: which gets more?
A private sale usually brings more money, often 10–20% above a trade-in offer, because the dealer needs room to recondition and resell. Trade-ins are faster, and in many US states you only pay sales tax on the difference, which narrows the gap.
Why is this different from Kelley Blue Book?
Pricing guides use live transaction data for exact trims and ZIP codes. This calculator uses average depreciation curves, so it works for any vehicle and shows the whole curve, but it can't see local demand or options. Use both.