Planning to purchase a used car? Or going to sell your old vehicle? If you’re wondering if it’s a wise investment like Redditor @MxrceloVictor1, then you must estimate your car value before making any financial decision. This post will show you 3 methods on how to check car value by VIN.
Table of contents
Why should you check vehicle market value?
What factors affect your car value?
How to check car value by VIN?
Here we’re going to introduce 3 ways to value a vehicle — free or paid.
Method 1 BeenVerified
BeenVerified is your go-to option when you need to search for a detailed report with tiny known info. It enables people to search people with names, phone, addresses, emails, or usernames, and vehicles with VIN or license plates. Boasting a large database, it combs through information linking to your search and returns it in a well-constructed report.
Wait for the algorithm to generate the report for you. You’ll need to pay for a subscription to access the report. In the report, you may find the car’s accident history, title records, market value, recalls, and other info.
Method 2 Online free tool
If you prefer free tools, you can always find free online tools from Google. For example, Consumer Reports is one of the car value estimators when you google for these tools.
By selecting the make, model, year, and trim, you can obtain the general value of your car. In addition, the number becomes more accurate when you enter mileage and other add-ons.
However, all the numbers you get are too general, given that these tools only consider parts of the factors affecting a car’s value. But it’s still worth a try for they can offer a basic range of market value of a similar car.
Method 3 Bumper
If you’re looking for a tool specializing in vehicles, give a shot to Bumper. It has multiple tools to check car value, branded value, and recall history, as well as compare vehicles. It has helped people to buy and sell vehicles for years.
To check your car value by VIN, follow these steps:
- Head to the Bumper website and fill in your VIN number. Then click Search.
- Your report will be ready in minutes. Pay to unlock it. Or you can also check it on your mobile with its app downloaded.
How to increase a car’s resale value?
“Does cleaning your car increase trade in value?” Inquired a user on the City-Data forum2. If you too are interested in this matter, continue reading to discover tips for enhancing the value of your vehicle.
What should you know about car value?
Once you have acquired essential knowledge about vehicle value, be cautious of common scams such as counterfeit or manipulated bank checks3. Wishing you a seamless experience when buying or selling a pre-owned vehicle.
- howto [MxrceloVictor]. (2023, November 24). Check a car to see if it’s worth buying [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/howto/comments/182hhcq/check_a_car_to_see_if_its_worth_buying/ ↩︎
- Automotive [easy62]. (2019, February 15). Does cleaning your car increase trade in value? [Online forum post]. City-Data.
https://www.city-data.com/forum/automotive/3017159-does-cleaning-your-car-increase-trade-2.htmlf ↩︎ - Porsche Technical Discussion Areas [tfm]. (2023, April 17). $32,000 car buying scam? [Online forum post]. Rennlist. https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/1345197-32-000-car-buying-scam.html ↩︎