Vehicle Valuations
& Market Insights

Reading a valuation properly

A vehicle does not have one value. It has several, and which one matters depends on what you are about to do. Trade value is what a dealer would expect to pay taking the car in; retail value is what it might realistically advertise for once prepared; the gap between them is the margin that has to absorb preparation, warranty provision and the time the car spends unsold.

Valuations are estimates drawn from what comparable vehicles are doing in the market. Mileage, condition, specification and service history all move the number, and a figure quoted without those qualifiers is not much use. Confirming specification with a build sheet check is often what explains why two apparently similar cars value differently.

Why days-to-sell matters

Price is only half of a stocking decision. A vehicle that shows a healthy margin but typically takes months to move ties up capital and accrues cost the entire time it sits. Days-to-sell data describes how long comparable vehicles are taking to find a buyer, which is what turns a valuation into an actual decision about whether to buy at all.

Read together, the two figures answer different questions. The valuation tells you what the car is worth; the days-to-sell figure tells you what it will cost you to find out whether that is true.

Where the numbers come from

Market data reflects observed activity across comparable vehicles rather than a fixed price list, so figures move as the market moves. Seasonal demand, fuel type shifts and model changes all show up in the data before they show up in a forecourt’s results. Checking shortly before you commit is more useful than relying on a valuation run weeks earlier.

A valuation describes what a vehicle should be worth given its specification and the current market. It assumes the vehicle’s history is what it appears to be, which is why a vehicle provenance report belongs alongside it — outstanding finance or a recorded write-off changes the number materially.