What is the black book car value?
Asked by: Thea McCullough | Last update: July 6, 2025Score: 4.1/5 (38 votes)
Is a blackbook worth it?
Are Black Book Values Accurate? Since Black Book valuations are largely based on the selling price of used cars at a wholesale auction, Black Book tends to be accurate in its evaluations. Dealerships will undoubtedly use Black Book to determine how much your trade-in is worth.
What's the difference between Kelley Blue Book and Black Book?
The Blue Book® is where drivers look to know what amount they can expect to purchase a vehicle or sell a vehicle for. The Black Book, however, deals more with up-to-date car sales and wholesale pricing values, so the information is more useful for car dealers.
Why do dealers use black book?
Specifically, the Black Book updates the dealer invoice and MSRP of vehicles weekly. This is why many dealers use Black Book to make trade-in offers instead.
Who owns Black Book car value?
The Black Book family of vehicle appraisal guides in the United States, providing vehicle pricing data, is published by National Auto Research, a division of Hearst Communications. New and used car dealers, lenders, manufacturers, fleet remarketers, and government agencies have used Black Book since 1955.
FREE ACCESS TO CAR DEALER BLACK BOOK USED CAR VALUES (GET BOOKOUTS!): The Homework Guy, Kevin Hunter
What is the black book value of my car?
The Black Book value is essentially the wholesale or auction value of a car. Black Book sources pricing data from both wholesale auctions and actual vehicle transactions from across the country. They update or validate their used car prices on a weekly basis.
Is Kelley Blue Book or Nada more accurate?
Which is more accurate, NADA or Kelley Blue Book? NADA gives a good rough estimate of why a dealership values your car this way, but KBB can give a better idea of how much your car is worth.
How does Black Book work?
For example, the Black Book utilizes historical and current information from wholesale auctions, vehicle purchases, and trade-ins. It also uses vehicle history reports to further determine the value.
What do dealerships use to estimate car value?
Car and Driver calculates your car's value using the same Black Book® data dealers use to appraise vehicles.
Is carfax report free?
A free CARFAX report is also available through many dealer websites. As you browse a dealer's used car inventory, look for links to free CARFAX Reports. If a link is unavailable, contact the dealer and ask them for the CARFAX Report. Free CARFAX Reports are available at many car dealerships in your area.
What are two things you definitely should do with a used car before buying it?
- Body condition: Check each panel and the roof, looking for scratches, dents, and rust. ...
- Glass: Look carefully at the glass to make sure there are no cracks or large, pocked areas. ...
- Suspension: Walk around the car to see whether it's sitting level.
What site do car dealers use for trade-in value?
KELLEY BLUE BOOK – OVERVIEW
While Black Book is mostly used by dealers, Kelley Blue Book (Not spelled Kelly Blue Book without the “e”) is mostly used by individuals looking to trade in or sell their vehicles. Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book has been one of the best-known names in the auto industry.
Why don t dealerships use Kelley Blue Book?
Mismatched Data
Most dealers do not use KBB for trade-in (wholesale) values. Instead, many rely on National Auto Research's Black Book or the Manheim Market Report, neither of which is available to the public. More important, both tend to skew lower than KBB in wholesale pricing.
How do you calculate the book value of a car?
To calculate the book value of an item, subtract the accumulated depreciation from the original cost of the item. Accumulated depreciation refers to the total decline in value over the years in which the item was used. The formula to calculate book value is: Book Value = Cost - Accumulated Depreciation.
How does Black Book compare to KBB?
Kelley Blue Book is free to use, while Black Book requires a paid subscription. KBB valuates cars based on vehicle auctions, which inflate values, while Black Book uses history-adjusted valuations and several other factors, which are considered more accurate.
What does black book mean in sales?
Black Book means any current, subscription-based car pricing mini-book updated at least monthly with regional selling prices from wholesale auto auctions and distributed to auto dealers, as of such date of determination.
What do the black book car dealers use?
It was founded in 1955 and is now based out of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Black Book provides a method for dealers to check the value of a trade-in, look at wholesale prices at auctions, and help determine what to charge for a used car or truck.
What is the most accurate site for car value?
For over 90 years, Kelley Blue Book has been The Trusted Resource for used car values, helping car owners understand what their used car is worth. Depending on the method of disposal, there actually may be more than one Blue Book Value for the consumer's car, truck or SUV.
Why are KBB prices so low?
KBB factors in the condition of the vehicle, local market conditions, and popularity of the vehicle, so their prices tend to be a lower than NADA. NADA values tend to lean higher because they assume cars are in good conditions. Insights can be gained from both values, but KBB looks at more factors.
What do dealerships use to price cars?
Dealers know that savvy car buyers will do their research, so it's in their best interest to stay as close to the suggested Kelley Blue Book value as possible. Dealers may also source information from similar places like Edmunds, NADAguides, Manheim Market Report, and Black Book.
Why is it called a Black Book?
"Black Book" is the nickname frequently used to refer to a list of people who are unwelcome in casinos. The name comes from the fact that the people listed are essentially blacklisted.
How do you use black books?
By reading one of the Black Books, the player is transported to the Daedric Realm of Apocrypha, where the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora reigns supreme. Hermaeus Mora is not particularly violent, and will offer knowledge in reward for navigating his perilous realm.
Do banks use KBB or NADA?
This is very situational though, and it's up to an individual lender and their underwriting policies. Loan value varies based on option, mileage and color, among other things. Some banks use Kelley Blue Book to establish their loan values, others use BlackBook and some use NADA guides.
What is the best used car value book?
Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book has been one of the most trusted names in the auto industry. You might say we literally "wrote the book on car values".
Do car dealers use NADA or Kelley Blue Book?
Trusted by Dealers: Dealers also rely on NADA and KBB to help them sell cars and to determine trade-in values. Multiple Price Options: NADA and KBB each provide trade-in values and retail values.