What is Black Book Value?
What it is
Black Book provides the wholesale or auction value of your car, which is the amount a dealer might pay for
it.
Data
Black Book acquires their pricing data from wholesale auctions, and retail transactions nationwide.
Frequency
Black Book updates their used car prices on a weekly basis.
Reliability
Frequent updates allows for faster response to market fluctuations.
Your car’s value
High mileage, vehicle damage, and the cost to recondition your car for resale all have an impact on the
overall value of your car.
Black Book vs. NADAguides & Kelley Blue Book
Kelly Blue Book (KBB) and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) are two other popular providers of
valuation information. While these valuation tools share commonalities with Black Book, there are a few differences
among data sources between them, the frequency at which they compile data and the resulting values that they
publish.
It’s important to understand these differences as dealers may use more than one valuation source in formulating an
offer for a potential trade-in.
NADAguides
NADAguides calculates used-car values by assessing wholesale and retail transactions, as well as asking price
information from Autotrader, OEMs, wholesalers and retailers. It also considers the MSRP, invoice and economic
factors
in its calculations that they update on a monthly basis.
Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book also primarily utilizes asking price information in their weekly valuation processes. This pricing
data comes from OEMs, wholesale auctions, dealerships, rental companies and financial institutions. Additionally,
KBB
considers vehicle configuration, incentive and production level data. It then determines used car values for
specific
situations, including a private sale value, a trade-in value and a suggested retail value.
