Trade-in calculator for car dealers
Work back from what you will retail the vehicle at. Take off reconditioning, warranty and advertising, the profit you want and a buffer for surprises, and see what you can offer for a trade-in.
What you expect to advertise and sell the vehicle for once it is ready
Bodywork, tires, servicing, inspection and detailing to get it ready for sale
Warranty, marketplace advertising, transport and admin
Room for what the appraisal missed, like a fault found on the test drive
From your valuation guide. Leave at 0 to skip the comparison
Figures update as you type. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
Where to start, with room to negotiate
Makes your target profit and keeps the buffer
Makes your target profit with no buffer left
- Costs to retail
- $850
- Cost in inventory
- $7,500
- Profit at recommended offer
- $1,500
The recommended offer is $350 below the wholesale book value. A customer who has checked an online valuation may expect more, so be ready to explain your figure.
An estimate, not a valuation
This calculator works only from the figures you enter. It does not look up the vehicle, and it cannot see its condition, history or local demand. Inspect the vehicle and check a valuation before you make a firm offer.
How we work out the offer
A trade-in is worth what you can sell it for, less what it costs you to get there. The calculator works back from the retail price in four steps.
Start at the retail price
The price you expect the vehicle to sell for once it is reconditioned and advertised.
Take off your costs
Reconditioning and detailing, then warranty, advertising and other costs. Together they are your costs to retail.
Take off your profit
What is left after your target profit is the maximum offer: the most you can allow and still make that profit.
Keep a buffer
The recommended offer keeps the risk buffer back. The opening offer takes it off again, so you have room to negotiate.
- See each trade-in on the inquiry it arrived with, next to the vehicle the customer wants
- Add a Value My Vehicle page to your website, so customers can tell you about their vehicle and ask what it is worth
- Appraise a trade-in by marking damage on a vehicle diagram, with photos and repair estimates added up for you
- Record reconditioning and other costs against the vehicle once it is in inventory, so you see the profit you actually made
From the estimate to a trade-in you can price
In Vehiso, a trade-in arrives on the inquiry with the customer's vehicle details. Appraise it, and keep the costs against the vehicle once it is in inventory.
See trade-in appraisals →Frequently asked questions
Working out trade-in values
Price your next trade-in with the facts in front of you
Inquiries, appraisals and vehicle costs in one DMS, with your dealer website included.