guides |
28 Jul 2024

The ultimate guide to pricing your car

In this guide, we provide an extensive guide that’ll help you both understand the market price of your car and, therefore, how to judge the best selling price for your car.

When you decide to sell your car, you want to get the best price for it. And it can be a real minefield as to how to go about determining a price for your car that’s reasonable for your prospective buyers and leaves you with more money for your efforts.

Understand the market

One of the best ways to understand your car’s worth is to search for your make or model online on car valuation websites or look through advertisements. This will provide you with an idea of the price range for your vehicle. Even though the prices of used cars fluctuate a lot, you can still come away with a good baseline price for your car in mind.

If you wanted to, you could ask for a formal valuation, but this is often costly and isn’t completely necessary. Alternatively, you can call your insurance provider and ask for a valuation from them; however, it’s worth bearing in mind that insurance companies often undervalue your car.

If you’re looking for a reliable valuation tool to assist you in your research, Hendy Buy Any Car can help with our own quick and easy valuation tool

Great condition and low mileage

The lower the mileage on your car, the better. If your car is approaching the 100,000-mile mark, it’s advisable to sell it sooner rather than later. But this can vary between makes and models as some are notoriously more robust than others and therefore retain their value for a longer amount of time, meaning that you can still price your car fairly high.

Taking good care of your car will pay off in the long run. If it’s in good condition inside and out, it will naturally increase its worth. So, making sure that any scrapes or dents are fixed before selling may help to maximise the value of your car when selling.

Keep everything documented

As well as being used to show how well a car has been maintained, having a record of your car’s service history, MOT test certification, warranty agreements, vehicle past-ownership log and crash history can give you a better indication of setting a realistic price for your car – and it’s enticing to buyers too!

For example, if your car was subsequently repaired after being involved in a crash, no matter the level of repair, it’ll still be worth less than a car that’s never been in a crash. Alternatively, if you bought your car brand new with a seven-year warranty and are selling after only a few years, the remaining term will give you a great cause to sell your car for a much higher price.

The same applies to individually serviced items, for instance, if you have receipts to prove a recent purchase of things like new tyres, a clutch, brakes and windscreen wipers. The assurance in the longevity of these features will also contribute to increasing the value of your car.

Showcase the accessories

If you opted to have extra features on your car at the time of purchasing, like driver assistance packages, infotainment systems, keyless entry, heated seats and a panoramic sunroof, to name a few, then you’ve automatically set yourself up to fetch a higher price for your car when it comes to selling it.

These features not only attract buyers with their unique appeal but also retain their usefulness and value after a period of time. They significantly contribute to keeping your vehicle relevant, updated and valuable, which can justifiably translate into a higher sale price for your car.

Are you ready to sell your car with Hendy?

Here at Hendy Buy Any Car, we want to do what we can to help our customers get the best price for their cars when they decide to sell. We’re on hand to provide services and reliable sources to inform you about the car market and allow you to decide on the best price to sell your car.

As a well-established, family-run dealer group with multiple locations across the South Coast, we take pride in our data-driven approach to vehicle valuations. Recognising the extent of preparation involved in selling cars is important to us, and we stand ready to assist our customers in maximising their vehicle’s value.

Ready to sell? Reach out to us today to get started!