What Is Kelly Blue Book Value?
Kelly Blue Book began in the 1920s with a real “blue book” that dealerships referenced for car pricing. Autotrader acquired Kelley Blue Book in 2012 and is now an auto shopping website. You can search for car pricing information and vehicle appraisals as a buyer or seller.
How Is KBB Value Determined?
To determine the KBB value of your vehicle, the program analyzes historical trends, pricing data, and the current economy. They also factor in the time of the year and location to determine the value of a used car.
KBB gathers basic new vehicle information about cars every day. Additionally, they evaluate wholesale auctions, independent dealers, and consumer sale prices.
Using KBB value is simple. To do so, you simply:
- Go to the website homepage
- Select “Car Values” and then “My Car’s Value” from the top navigation.
- Enter the make, model, year, and mileage. Verify your zip code.
- Select the car category and style.
- Add any additional options.
- Choose the condition of the car. KBB provides descriptions of each, but they state most cars are in good condition.
- View the Blue Book for your car.
KBB Used Car Values
The KBB used car values fall under these categories:
- Private-Party Value: How much the used car is worth from a private seller.
- Trade-In Value: The amount you can expect to get when trading in the vehicle at a dealer.
- Suggested Retail Value: The price dealers usually ask for the used car.
- Certified Pre-Owned: How much the car is worth as part of the CPO program (only applies to certain newer vehicles).
Pricing Comparison
Black Book: Black Book offers print, online, and mobile subscriptions. It is free to get your trade-in value, but requires a paid subscription to get more pricing values and to be able to search by VIN or license plate. The subscriptions begin at $65 per month (above $700 annually). Subscriptions are mainly geared towards dealerships.- Edmunds: Edmunds used car vehicle appraisal calculator is free to use.
- Kelley Blue Book: Kelley Blue Book provides a free used car value estimator.
Black Book: Black Book offers print, online, and mobile subscriptions. It is free to get your trade-in value, but requires a paid subscription to get more pricing values and to be able to search by VIN or license plate. The subscriptions begin at $65 per month (above $700 annually). Subscriptions are mainly geared towards dealerships.Ease of Use Comparison
- Black Book: The free service is very simple, but contact info is required to see the trade-in value. The Black Book subscription service makes it inherently more difficult to use. Users cannot just quickly enter their vehicle information; they must sign up and pay for an account. The free service does not allow you to search by VIN or license plate.
- Edmunds: Similar to KBB, users can enter car details through an online calculator. Edmunds also allows you to search for a model by VIN or license plate. Since both Edmunds and KBB are very easy to use, it’s often worth using both to generate used car appraisals.
- Kelley Blue Book: Users can enter details about their vehicle to receive an estimated value for several scenarios (trade-in, private sale, etc.). KBB allows users to search by VIN or license plate.
Black Book: The free service is very simple, but contact info is required to see the trade-in value. The Black Book subscription service makes it inherently more difficult to use. Users cannot just quickly enter their vehicle information; they must sign up and pay for an account. The free service does not allow you to search by VIN or license plate.Trade-In Value Comparison
- Black Book: Since the Black Book is a tool designed for dealers, it tracks wholesale prices and will often show lower values than KBB or Edmunds.
- Edmunds: Edmunds’s trade-in values may differ slightly due to different algorithms, but they tend to be higher than Black Book trade-in values.
- Kelley Blue Book: More similar to Edmunds, values tend to be higher than Black Book.
Black Book: Since the Black Book is a tool designed for dealers, it tracks wholesale prices and will often show lower values than KBB or Edmunds.Most dealers use the Black Book, so although the trade-in value may be lower, it may more accurately represent the offers you’ll get from a dealer.
Black Book vs. Edmunds vs. Kelley Blue Book: Which One Should I Use?
If you're looking for an easy process...
Since most of the Black Book features require signing up for a subscription, it is not the easiest tool to use. Edmunds has a streamlined process and shows the most amount of information about your car's value. You can also sign up for monthly updates and an appraisal report. Both Edmunds and KBB are free and easy to use.
If you're looking for the most accurate...
The Black Book is the most accurate, as it provides premium subscription content While this makes it the best choice for many dealers, the subscription cost may not be worth it for consumers.
Some experts tout Edmunds as more accurate than KBB, but there is no clearly proven winner for accuracy.
To get the most accurate estimate, you should use both KBB and Edmunds. It is fast, easy, and free to enter your vehicle’s information on both sites and to average the values given.
Conclusion
And there you have it – a roadmap through the world of car valuations. Whether you lean towards the detailed insights of Black Book, the user-friendly approach of Edmunds, or the trusted evaluations of Kelley Blue Book, you're now equipped to make an informed choice. Remember, the right tool can turn the daunting task of pricing a used car into a smooth ride.
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