How To Check Car Value & What Affects a Vehicle’s Worth

How much is my car worth? How much is a used vehicle worth? Well, that depends on a lot of things. A car’s brand, model, mileage, condition, and year all factor into a vehicle’s value. 

Whether you’re planning on selling, buying, or simply want to get a sense of the worth of your vehicle, this post will help you get started. If you’re planning to sell your car, for example, estimating its value helps you get a sense of what you might get from a dealership versus selling to an individual. If you’re shopping for a used car, estimating its value helps you with negotiating a price. 

While you can appraise a car on your own by comparing it to similar vehicles, you’ll find a lot of tools online for estimating the value of a car, which we list in this article. 

We’re going to talk about what matters about the value of a vehicle and how you can improve your estimate. We’ll also give some recommendations for sites and resources that you can use to estimate the value of your car, truck or SUV. 

How to Value A Used Car, Truck or SUV

If you use a website to value your vehicle, it’s going to take into account a number of things. Let’s talk about some of the notable aspects that affect its value. 

Miles: How mileage impacts a vehicle’s value

Probably the number one aspect that affects a vehicle’s value is its mileage. Mileage directly reflects the amount of wear a car has experienced. With so many parts and machinery in a vehicle, it’s hard to assess the condition of every single part. Mileage gives buyers and sellers a sense of the general usage of a vehicle and how much life the vehicle may have left. 

Finding a vehicle’s mileage is easy. Just look at the odometer!

Condition: How wear and tear affect a car’s value

Although we mentioned mileage is an indicator of a car’s condition, it isn’t the only factor. Two cars with 100k miles may be in very different condition, depending on how well the owner cared for the vehicle. Condition is a general term that can refer to cosmetic damage, mechanical wear or the age of key parts such as brake pads. It can refer to damage and scratches or the age of certain parts of the car. Newer tires, for example, will increase the value of a car versus tires that are a couple of years old. 

Checking the condition of a car requires a visual inspection of the whole vehicle. You’ll have to know what to look for in certain parts of the car, such as battery corrosion, or worn tire tread.

Car history: Has a vehicle been in an accident?

A vehicle identification number, or VIN, contains more than just information about a vehicle’s make, model, and year. A VIN can be used to access the history of the car, including whether the vehicle has been in any reported accidents. A vehicle that’s been in an accident will usually have a lower value, as it’s related to vehicle condition. Vehicle history may also include whether the model has recalls, insurance claims, or theft records. 

The VIN can be found on the door jamb of a vehicle or on the vehicle’s registration. CarFax provides you with a limited vehicle history for free, but a full history requires payment (full vehicle report costs vary, and may be worth the fee if it saves you from buying a lemon!). 

An alternative to CarFax is NICB’s VINCheck, although it also offers limited details for free. From VINCheck, you may be redirected to AutoCheck, another fee-based VIN history service. Read the fine print when paying for any VIN check service. Beware that some terms can be confusing. If you use the service to look up one vehicle, make sure you don’t inadvertently subscribe to a monthly VIN lookup service (it happens!). 

Trim package: How vehicle model and trim level affect value

There’s a lot of customization that you can do with a new car, from different models to various trim packages. A 2025 Toyota Corolla LE may have a significantly different value than a 2025 Toyota Corolla XSE. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of the more expensive trim package being worth more, but some vehicle models and trim packages hold their value better than others, often depending on the reviews or resale ratings of the car. 

If you’re not sure of the exact model and trim package, this can be found through looking up the VIN. 

Location: How your ZIP code affects your vehicle's value

Where you live impacts how much a vehicle is worth. Buyer demand, climate, and even local regulations can cause prices to vary by ZIP code, which is why many estimation tools ask for your ZIP code. For example, all-wheel drive vehicles tend to hold more value in snowy regions, while convertibles are worth more in warmer climates. Some areas may also have higher used car prices due to limited inventory or strong demand.

Cars, trucks and SUVS from southern states may also hold more value because they're less likely to have been exposed to road salt (which is used in snowy areas to melt snow and ice and has the unfortunate effect of accelerating rust and corrosion). Buyers often perceive that vehicles from warm climates have been better maintained.

4 Best Sites for Car Value Estimates

So, let’s get into how to estimate your car’s value. Here are a few recommended car value calculators that take your estimated car value and let you know the market or trade-in value. Try out one or more of them to get a more accurate sense of your car’s value.

Kelley Blue Book

Not only is KBB a resource for getting your car’s value, but it’s also an entire vehicle marketplace. Browse used cars for sale and find resources about financing a car and comparing the values of different models. 

The KBB car value tool uses the VIN, make/model, and/or license plate to look up a vehicle. You’ll need to answer several model-specific questions, as well as questions about the condition of the car (how old are your tires, for example) so that a more accurate valuation can be made. Once you enter your car’s value, you can see the trade-in value or cash value of your car. You’ll also see if there were any recalls for your model. 

Edmunds

Edmunds is a great way to research both new and used cars, as well as find out the value of your car with the car value calculator. You’ll also be able to browse reviews of various popular car models.

Edmunds can calculate value using your VIN, license plate, or by manually entering your year/make/model. Their car value estimator has a lot of detailed questions about the condition of your vehicle, so it may take some time for you to go through each question. You may need to inspect the inside and outside of your vehicle first to report conditions, to get a more accurate estimate.

Consumer Reports

Known mostly for their in-depth vehicle reviews, Consumer Reports also offers a vehicle value estimator. If you’re researching used or new cars, we highly recommend Consumer Reports to which vehicles are highly rated. 

Consumer Reports’ car estimator is very quick, only taking into account the make, model, and mileage of your vehicle to give a very rough estimate. It’s good for a very quick estimate, but may not account for the nuances of car valuation. 

CarFax

We mentioned using CarFax to learn more about a vehicle’s history, but they also have a car value estimator.

Because CarFax is focused on the history of a vehicle, you need to use the VIN or the license plate to access their value estimator. This is useful for buying a car, especially, but can also be used to estimate the value of a vehicle you want to sell. Of course, you may have to manually account for mechanical issues or damage to your car. 

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