11 Car Appraisal Sites To Help Keep You Moving

Last updated on 2021/5/9

One of the first things that you buy for yourself is most likely going to be a car. They are expensive but not too expensive that an average person cannot afford one. Before you purchase a car, especially if it is a used car, you want to know how much the car is worth. You always want to make sure that you are not paying more for the car than it is worth. Continue reading to find out more about the best way to get an appraisal for your car.

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Why Should I Have My Car Appraised?

No matter if you are buying or selling, you may want to get a car appraisal. If you are interested in selling your car, you want to make sure you know the actual value of the car. It will make it easier to set the selling price for the car if you know its actual value. This way, you can set an accurate and fair price. You can get the appraisal value in writing so you can have it for proof when you are trying to sell it.

If you are interested in buying a car, you want to be able to see the value of the car in writing, so you know if it is truly worth the price you are going to pay for it. If you are interested in buying a car and you want to use your current car as a trade-in. If you get an appraisal before you go to the dealer, you can already know the value of the car to ensure you are getting a fair deal. Another reason you might consider having your car appraised is for insurance purposes. 

Can I Trust An Appraisal From A Website?

When you are interested in a car appraisal, you may want to visit a website to get an appraisal for your car. You are probably wondering if you can trust the appraisal price from one of the online sites. If you are not getting an in-person professional appraisal, the one you get online may not be totally accurate. The information you receive from the website is only as accurate as the information in enter. A person is not looking at your car to make a decision about the actual value.

To get a true car valuation of your car from a website, you may need to get appraisals from several websites. If you are interested in an appraisal on your car, check out these websites: 

Site #1 - Edmunds

Edmunds logo

When you want to get a car appraisal from Edmunds, you can expect to see a box where you enter the information about your car, including VIN or the license plate number. To get the most accurate value for your car, you have to enter the information as completely and correctly as possible.

The calculator on Edmunds website uses data from many different sources including car dealers, information from consumers, and depreciation costs. This calculator can determine the value of all makes, models, and brands of cars, including luxury cars. If you have a classic car, this tool may not work the best for you because it only goes back to 1990. There are many other sites specific to antique cars if that is your needed appraisal. 

Site #2 - NADA

NADA logo

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) represents car and truck dealers to the general public. If you are interested in a car appraisal, NADA is able to provide you with a baseline value that is estimated after you fill out the form online. In addition to the data you enter, NADA uses wholesale transactions, asking prices for vehicles, and retail transactions.

NADA also includes some assumptions about the packages on your vehicle, invoices, and the value of similar vehicles. You get estimated values from NADA and your vehicle could be a little less or a little more. They have been a well-known source for almost 100 years and tend to be a favorite source of vehicle owners. Dealerships, insurance companies, lenders, and companies that rent cars often turn to NADA to get their vehicle estimates. 

Site #3 - Kelley Blue Book

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Another top site for a car appraisal is the Kelley Blue Book site. This appraisal site uses pricing that is commonly found in the industry. The sources include car rental companies, lenders, car dealers, and manufacturers. They use a calculation process that is specific only to Kelley Blue Book. This site gives you more than one price that is based on the age of your car, as well as any wear and tear on your car. This is what gives you a price that cannot be found on other sites.

The appraisal also has a line item on it that includes the cost of a sale between two people that are not in the business of selling cars. There are line items for the value of your car as a trade-in and a suggested retail value for a dealer. Because of the way Kelley Blue Book determines the value of your car, it is important that you answer the questions about wear and tear accurately. 

Site #4 - Auto Trader

Auto trader logo

Auto Trader is another site for you to get a car appraisal. The general public tends to find that Auto Trader appraisals are among the most accurate of all the online appraisals. Auto Trader helps you to determine the value of your car by looking at the asking price of your car in the market.

The way Auto Trader gives you the value of your car is by looking at specific data in addition to the local selling price. They look at the average asking price by dealers as well as the asking price from other sellers. It also looks at the asking price by private sellers.

When you go to the Auto Trader website, there are many fields for you to fill in, including the mileage. You must be sure to enter all the information correctly so you can receive an accurate appraisal. Similar to other sites, the year of the car only goes back to the 90s. If your car is older than that, you may need to use another website to get the value of your car.

Site #5 - Consumer Reports

Consumer reports logo

Consumer Reports are an independent organization that has been operating for many years. They are a nonprofit that works directly with consumers to find out accurate information that is fair and transparent in today's market. Consumer Reports wants to help you know the most accurate value of your car before you try to sell it.

In an effort to be able to get the best value for your car, you must enter the information in correctly. You need information such as the make and model and condition of your car.

Consumer Reports will give you a price for a trade-in value and private party value. The values are calculated from auction pricing and other car transactions across the country. The prices are updated on a regular basis. There are items such as damage to the car, a high amount of mileage, and repairs that you have made on the car that will decrease the value of the car. 

Site #6 - Cars.com

Cars.com logo

On the cars.com website, there is an option to look up your car by license plate number. In addition to getting the value of your car, you can also buy and sell cars on the cars.com website. This website gives you an estimate of what your car is worth.

This is not a guarantee of how much your car is worth. Not only will you be able to determine how much your car is worth, but you will be able to find your next car all on one site. 

Site #7 - Car Gurus

Car gurus logo

Car Gurus offers you an appraisal that is easy to obtain. Their website is simple and easy to figure out. It takes less than five minutes to fill out the form. There are around six questions in which you have to answer. As you fill in each question, the value of your vehicle is calculated in real-time on the screen for you. You watch the value of the car go up as you answer the questions.

They sell cars on their website to make it easy to sell. Car Gurus also gives you information called a Great Deal. This is a price for which you can sell the car on the website and they believe you can sell the car quickly. The Car Gurus website tells you how much you would earn if you were to sell the car versus trade it in. You get more money from selling your car than if you trade it in. 

Site #8 - Carfax

Carfax logo

Carfax is a great site for you to determine the value of your car. In addition to being able to buy and sell a car all on the same site, Carfax, provides you an estimate for your car that uses far more features than many other appraisal companies. Carfax takes items into consideration including make, model, trim, and year of your car.

It looks at the difference between the optional and standard features for your car. Carfax looks at the number of owners that your car had. It determines the condition of the vehicle and if there is any history of accidents. The appraisal looks at the history of all the service you had on your car, as well as your history of registration. It determines if there are any open recalls on your car. It looks at the way your car was used, such as for personal use or rental purposes.  Carfax pulls specific information based on your VIN. There is information associated with your VIN and Carfax access that information. 

Site #9 - True Car

True Car logo

True Car offers you more than just an appraisal. You can also buy a new car and sell your old car on this website. With True Car, you can get quick estimates. As you enter the information about your car, you see the estimate about your car in real-time. You can add and take away features and see how it changes the value. You can even add mileage and the color of the car to the website.

The website provides you offers from local dealers so that you can sell your car. The process is fast and efficient. The questions you answer are directly related to the value of your car and impact how much money you can receive. When you get a true cash offer, that is an offer from a certified dealer and you can trust that is what you will receive. You can also lock in this price, in case you are not ready to sell your car right away. You have three days to sell your car to a local dealership. True Car has a large circle of dealers that are certified to buy and sell cars for True Car.

Site #10 - Enterprise Car Sales

Enterprise car sales logo

Enterprise Car Sales offers you the ability to buy and sell cars online. This website uses Kelley Blue Book to determine what the trade-in value would be. It uses an estimation tool that works with the information that you provide in the online tool that allows you to assess your car. This is just an estimate. The numbers provided on the website are just estimated values. They are not a promise of the actual value of your car.

They also provide you the option of an in-person interview. You must begin to fill out the form online and then a representative will contact you to determine the value of your car for trade-in purposes. Enterprise inspects the condition of your car, including an inspection, a mechanical review, and a test drive. They also run a Carfax report to see if your car has been in any accidents. They also assess the service that you have had on your car, as well as any recalls. After they review the features and upgrades your car has, they will give you an offer in writing. This offer is good for 7 days or another 300 miles on your car. 

Site #11 - Carvana

Carvana logo

Carvana is another site that provides you an assessment and appraisal of your car. Carvana buys and sells cars, and makes you an offer to buy your car. You fill in a little bit of information on their website. It takes you about 5 minutes to answer all the questions. They offer you a price and there are no hassles associated with the price. The price stands at what Carvana offers you.

Once you are given the offer from Carvana, you can decide if you want to trade-in or sell your car. Depending on your choice, you may get more money from selling your car, instead of training it in. If you decide that you want to sell or trade-in your car, Carvana will take an in-person, on-site look at your car to make sure that the amount they offered is accurate. 

Conclusion

There are many different reasons why you might want to get an appraisal for your car. No matter why you are choosing to get an appraisal, it is important that your appraisal is accurate. There are many different websites where you can get a value for your car. You want to make sure that it is correct. It is probably in your best interest to fill out the form on a few different websites to ensure you get an accurate number. If you get the same number from all sites, then that is probably the correct number. If you do not get the same number, you can estimate the dollar amounts that you received to get a more accurate one.

One thing to remember when using one of these sites is that it is incredibly important that you answer all of the questions correctly. If you do not fill in the information properly, you may skew the dollar amount that you receive as your appraisal. When you are using this amount to decide if you should sell your car or trade it in, you want to make sure that you are working with the correct numbers.