How much is my car worth?
Short answer
Your car is worth what buyers are paying for the same year, make, model and trim at your mileage, near you. To get that figure for your exact car, value it by VIN: enter the 17-character VIN, the odometer reading and your ZIP code. The free VIN report comes first; the valuation, from $2.99, prices that VIN against live listings and shows you the listings behind the number.
What the same year, make, model and trim is selling for at your mileage in your market. A dated example: a 2021 Toyota Corolla LE at 50,000 miles was worth $18,487 at retail on September 16, 2026, from 1,600 US listings observed August 17 to September 7, 2026, ranging $15,744 to $21,229. Your car sits inside a band like that, and the VIN valuation shows you where, with the listings printed.
Value your car by VIN
Free VIN report first. Valuation with the nearest listings from $2.99, Full Report $6.99, Negotiation Bundle $9.99. No account, nothing sent to a dealer.
The three values, and which one you are looking at
| Value | Who pays it | Where it sits | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade-in | A dealer taking your car against another | Lowest: the dealer must recondition and resell | KBB Trade-In Range, dealer offers, Carvana and CarMax offers |
| Private party | A private buyer, sold as is | Middle | KBB Private Party Value, CarGurus private sale value |
| Retail | A buyer at a dealer | Highest: advertised asking prices | Dealer listings; the CarWorthIt low, average and high; CarGurus Instant Market Value |
Definitions of trade-in and private party from kbb.com/faq/values; CarGurus value types from cargurus.com/research/car-valuation; both read September 16, 2026. Names are trademarks of their owners; this site is independent of all of them.
How to find out, in three steps
- 1Enter the VIN
Seventeen characters, on the dashboard through the windshield, the door-jamb sticker, the title or the listing. The free report confirms the exact trim, engine and drivetrain.
- 2Add the odometer reading and your ZIP code
Mileage is the biggest single driver of value after age, and the same car sells for different money in different markets. Both go into the price.
- 3Read the value with its evidence
From $2.99: the local value, the national low, average and high from live listings, the price bands, the nearest listings by distance with their mileage and price, and a verdict on the asking price if you gave one.
What moves the number
- Mileage. On the Corolla above the feed moved the value by $1,684 to bring the pool to 50,000 miles. A car 30,000 miles either side of the average is a different price.
- Trim and options. The VIN fixes the trim; the build record in the Full Report lists the factory options and what they cost new.
- Location. Every listing in the feed carries a ZIP code, so the report shows the nearest cars and their prices, not a national average dressed up as local.
- Condition and history. Neither is in any online number, KBB's or ours. They are what the inspection and an NMVTIS history report are for.
- Time. Listings are refreshed daily and the report prints the observation window. A value without a date is a memory.
Values by model, dated
National retail values for the model years people ask about most, each from hundreds of live listings. The full list is on the car values page.
Questions
How much is my car worth?
What buyers are currently paying for the same year, make, model and trim at your mileage in your market. As a dated example, a 2021 Toyota Corolla LE at 50,000 miles had a national retail value of $18,487 on September 16, 2026, from 1,600 US listings observed August 17 to September 7, 2026, ranging $15,744 to $21,229. Your car sits somewhere in that kind of band depending on trim, mileage, condition and where it is, which is what a VIN valuation pins down.
What is the difference between trade-in value, private-party value and retail value?
Kelley Blue Book's own definitions (kbb.com/faq/values, read September 16, 2026): trade-in is "what you can expect to receive for your current car when trading it in at a dealer"; private party is "what a buyer can expect to pay when buying a used car from a private party"; retail is what a dealer asks after reconditioning. Trade-in is the lowest of the three and retail the highest. CarWorthIt's listing figures are retail asking prices, so a private sale usually lands a little under them and a trade-in offer well under.
Is a car value by VIN free?
The VIN report is free and needs no account: year, make, model, trim, open recalls, crash-test ratings and running costs. The valuation is $2.99 because it uses live, licensed listing data for that exact model at your mileage rather than a national trim average. Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, Carfax and CarGurus give a free figure and are paid by the dealers who then contact you; we send nothing to a dealer.
How accurate is an online car value?
Only as accurate as the spread of the market allows. Measured on live listings in September 2026, common cars cluster within about 10 to 20 percent of their average and old or rare cars spread wider. A good valuation shows you that band and how many cars are in it, rather than a single number with no count behind it.
What lowers a car’s value the most?
Mileage and age, then accident or title history, then condition and missing service records. Trim and factory options move it too, which is why two cars with the same year and model can be thousands of dollars apart. The valuation prices your VIN at its mileage; it does not include accident history, which needs a separate NMVTIS-approved report.
Does the value depend on where I live?
Yes. Trucks hold value differently in Texas than in Vermont; convertibles differently in Florida than in Michigan. The report prices the car in the market around your ZIP code and, because every listing in the national feed carries a ZIP, shows you the nearest cars by distance.
Is this a Kelley Blue Book value?
No. We are not affiliated with Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds or J.D. Power and we do not republish their values. Ours come from live US sales listings and carry the date they were observed.
Do you buy cars or make offers?
No. We do not buy cars, we are not a dealer and we do not pass your details to one. You get the value and the evidence, and you decide what to do with it.
Related: KBB by VIN, is Kelley Blue Book accurate, check a car's value by VIN, negotiate a used car price, see a real sample report.
Example figures from the national retail listings feed for VIN 5YFVPMAE9MP195479 at 50,000 miles, read September 16, 2026. We do not sell vehicle history reports. Checked September 16, 2026.