After the festive period leaves us there will be many hunting for a new vehicle in January. Our message to car buyers this Christmas is that getting an accurate car valuation is extremely important. If you pay too much for a car this winter it can really hit your wallet both now and in the future after the car depreciates. If you pay too little, this could be a sign the car, seller (or both) is dodgy.
Why does it pay to be valuation savvy currently?
Car prices are falling quickly in the current market. The supply of used cars is beginning to ‘normalise’ after years of car production shortages during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore with prices changing over a short period of time it’s important you know what a car you’re interested in buying is worth. We are moving into a buyers market right now so doing your valuation research will give you what you need to find a car at a good price.
Before you buy a car always run a full vehicle history check. Use Total Car Check’s award winning Gold Check
But what are your options for getting accurate vehicle valuation information? We explain below.
Check the local car market
So you’ve found a car you like the look of that has been advertised. Enter its registration plate on Total Car Check and use our free local car sales tool. This will tell you the sales price of similar cars being sold within 20 miles of where you live. In fact you can change the criteria to find any vehicle based on make, model, age and mileage. So not only will this give you an idea of the value of a car you’re interested in, but also assist you with finding other vehicles that match your criteria. Find out how it works.
Get a free valuation with Motorway
A free Total Car Check report gives you more than 40 data fields of information about a vehicle and also the option to get a free valuation directly from online car seller, Motorway. Simply click on the ‘value your car’ button within our free reports and enter the registration number of any vehicle you are interested in buying. Motorway will give you a free initial valuation. Bear in mind that the value Motorway estimates is specifically for private sellers. You should expect to pay in the region of 10-15% more if you are purchasing the vehicle from a retailer.
Get a comprehensive valuation with a Gold Check
Total Car Check’s Gold Check comes with a comprehensive vehicle valuation outlining the price of a car based on the last recorded mileage. This shows you how much you should expect to pay when buying from a dealer forecourt, private seller and auction. It also sets out how much the car would be part exchanged for. We recommend that our customers get a Gold Check to ensure important data checks are carried out.
