Black Book Vs Kelly Blue Book Trade In Values (2024)

Black Book Vs Kelly Blue Book Trade In Values

Is there a difference between Black Book Vs Kelley Blue Book trade in values? Are you looking to sell your vehicle or trade it in?

Keep reading to find out all about the 2 main sources for USED Car, Truck and other Vehicle pricing.

  • Kelley Blue Book
  • Black Book and more!!!

CAR DEALERS love to quote Blue Book this and Blue Book that, but what does it really mean?

You might hear things like

  • Blue Book Pricing
  • We sell below Blue Book
  • Get Blue Book value for your trade-in

BLACK BOOK vs KELLY BLUE BOOK TRADE IN VALUES

Black Book Vs Kelly Blue Book Trade In Values (1)

BLACK BOOK – OVERVIEW

Black Book is what dealers usually refer to when trying to figure out how much a used vehicle or trade in is worth. Black Book originally began in 1955 literally as a black book containing weekly car values for every vehicle and every region in the country. Today Black Book (https://www.blackbook.com) is available via the web or mobile through a paid subscription.

Black Book offers various paid subscription options. The main subscription that Dealers use includes trade in values and information on cars and light trucks. These vehicle appraisals help dealers calculate vehicle leases and used car and truck prices.

  • Four wholesale values based on condition: Extra Clean, Clean, Average and Rough
  • History Adjusted Valuations – a more precise way to appraise vehicles. Instantly understand the impact of a vehicle’s history report on its value.
  • Four retail values based on condition: Extra Clean, Clean, Average and Rough
  • Three trade-in values based on condition: Clean, Average and Rough
  • Finance Advance™ value
  • Value adjustments for mileage and optional equipment
  • Value adjustments for region or state
  • Access auction sales data from over 162 auctions with our Complete Market Report (separate subscription required)
  • Over 32,000 used vehicle values for model years 1981- current.
  • Pull up to 1,000 valuations per month.

Black book offers subscriptions in both print and online and also via a mobile application. Mobile subscriptions start around $65 a month or over $700 annually.

Black Book Vs Kelly Blue Book Trade In Values (2)

If you want to know what the dealers know when buying a used car, the Black Book mobile application is a great tool to use. Because they offer monthly memberships, it will not cost a ton to be really informed.

Black Book Vs Kelly Blue Book Trade In Values (3)

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. Today, https://KBB.com or https://kelleybluebook.com extends the tradition, with trusted values and a reputation for innovation, including resources to help you research, price and shop for the car you’ve been looking for.

One advantage of using Kelly Blue Book is the service is free without monthly subscriptions.

Kelly Blue Book rates its used car evaluations as

  • EXCELLENT
  • GOOD
  • FAIR
  • POOR

Kelley Blue Book breaks it’s pricing guides into 2 main categories which include the KBB New Car Guide and KBB Used Car Guide.

BUYING NEW

If you are in the market for a new vehicle, the KBB New Car Guide contains pricing information for the current model year including

  • MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price)
  • Dealer Costs
  • Extra Costs – includes other various costs (Example shipping costs)
  • Pricing Schedules – includes pricing for various options that buyers can select

BUYING USED

If you are in the market for a used vehicle, the KBB Used Car Guide contains pricing information for used vehicles made in the last 15 years. The Used Car Guide offers several different prices:

  • Retail Price – also known as the dealer price or what you could expect to pay at a dealer.
  • Trade-In Price – also known as the dealer trade-in value
  • Private Sale Price – Is the price for selling by owner. The Private Sale Price is almost always lower than the Trade-In Price and is a good estimate of what to expect to pay for or sell a used vehicle from a non-dealer.

The Used Car Guild includes various charts and tables for calculating price based on

  • Vehicle Condition
  • Car Mileage
  • Vehicle Options

If you are looking to buy or sell an older vehicle, motorcycle or RV, that information is published separately and may only be available in guidebooks and not via the KBB website.

Historically Kelley Blue Book gathered vehicle cost data information through vehicle auctions, which often can inflate the price compared to how Black Book calculates their trade in and used vehicle prices.

NATIONAL APPRAISAL GUIDES

Beyond both Black Book and Kelly Blue Book, another useful tool for figuring out vehicle price is NADA (http://www.nadaguides.com). National Appraisal Guides, Inc. is the largest publisher of vehicle pricing, information and tools for new and used cars.

BLUE BOOK VS BLACK BOOK | BEST ADVISE

As a rule of thumb Kelley Blue Book values are a pretty good indicator to use when buying vehicle from an individual or when selling a vehicle to an individual. The Blue Book values tend to be a little on the high side when buying used vehicles from a dealership or when trading in a vehicle.

Best advice is to do your homework and don’t go into a buying or selling situation blind.

If you happen to be in the Wyoming or Nebraska neighborhood, check out out Fremont Motors for loads of new and used cars, truck and SUVs.

KELLEY BLUE BOOK Vs BLACK BOOK | FAQ

What Are Black Book Car Values?

Black Book Vehicle Pricing. The Black Book is what dealerships typically use to lookup pricing information about new, used car, truck, and recreational vehicle prices. Black Book updates the Dealer invoice and Manufacturers Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) weekly. Dealers also use the Black Book loan values for finance purposes.

Black Book publishes weekly publications in print and online is still going strong today.

What Is The Difference Between Black Book and Kelley Blue Book?

As stated above, the Black Book is what dealers usually refer to when trying to figure out how much a used vehicle or trade in is worth. Consumers will typically use Kelley Blue Book values when estimating new and use vehicle costs.

Is Edmunds Or KBB More Accurate?

In realistic terms both Kelley Blue Book (KBB) and Edmunds give an approximation of vehicle value based on various sources. Both the Kelley Blue Book and Black Book are generally used when buying a car from a dealership.

What Is The Value Of My Car In Kelley Blue Book?

The Kelley Blue Book is a good estimation of what a car might sell for and how much it is worth. The price doesn’t include warranties and other options that may increase the a cars value. Ultimately the KBB value is often used as a starting point for negotiation and not the final price.

What Does The Black Book Value Mean?

You can think of the Black Book values as an estimated wholesale value of a vehicle that dealers use to ensure profits when buying or selling used cars. From a consumer standpoint, a dealer will always look to make a profit, so you can expect to pay over the Black Book value when buying used and under the Black Book value when trading in or selling your vehicle to a dealer.

Black Book Vs Kelly Blue Book Trade In Values (2024)

FAQs

Is black book value higher than blue book value? ›

What is Black Book Value? Other dealerships choose to use black book value, instead. This is because black book values are updated more often with new info about vehicle transactions than Kelley Blue Book, which means you can get a more accurate idea of how much you'll really be getting for your car.

Is trade in value the same as blue book value? ›

In other words, while Trade-In Values vary depending on the condition of the vehicle, Blue Book Lending Values assume the car is in good condition or better, meeting manufacturer and state requirements.

Do car dealers use Kelly Blue Book or Black Book? ›

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.

What is the most accurate car book value? ›

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book has been one of the most trusted names in the auto industry.

Is Kelley Blue Book or Nada more accurate? ›

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 is the alternative to Kelley Blue Book? ›

When it comes to vehicle valuations, Cars.com uses Black Book. Black Book has been providing vehicle data and insights since 1955 and is a competitor to Kelley Blue Book. Dealers often use Black Book as a source to determine the used car price an owner might receive for their vehicle as a trade-in.

Why do dealers not use KBB? ›

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.

What is more accurate book value or market value? ›

Key Takeaways

Market value tends to be greater than a company's book value since market value captures profitability, intangibles, and future growth prospects. Book value per share is a way to measure the net asset value investors get when they buy a share.

Does cleaning your car increase trade-in value? ›

A cleaned and detailed car is worth more at trade-in than a worn and poorly maintained one. You might consider detailing your vehicle and making any minor car repairs. Fixing issues like windshield damage or minor engine issues, and cleaning it before an appraisal by the dealer can net hundreds more on the trade-in.

Where does Kelley Blue Book get its value? ›

Fair Purchase Price is determined by collecting thousands of actual consumer vehicle purchase prices, plus data from national vehicle registration databases and several other reliable third-party sources. Kelley Blue Book's lead analysts and statisticians review and validate the data each week for reliability.

Why is the nada value so low? ›

NADA makes use only of dealership sales prices. This means no private sales prices are include in their algorithm. That means the same car – same make, model, year – a dealership is selling in the exact same condition – similar mileage, same wear and tear – is not going to be much value to you.

Do people still use Kelly Blue Book? ›

Yes. Kelley Blue Book understands the importance of providing pricing that is geographically relevant to consumers and dealers.

What is the difference between Blue Book value and black book value? ›

Black Book: Used more by dealers. Provides more accurate up-to-date information (especially with new car pricing) because of weekly MSRP & dealer invoice updates. Blue Book: Used more by consumers because it's free. Offers a grading scale for vehicle conditions from poor to excellent.

What is the best website to check used car value? ›

Both Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book are reputable sites that offer pricing information. The accuracy of an appraisal has a lot to do with the information the owner provides. If you overstate the vehicle condition or don't check off the correct trim level and options, your value is less likely to be accurate.

Why is Kelley Blue Book not accurate? ›

The accuracy of KBB values can vary depending on several factors, such as the condition of the vehicle, its location, and the current market demand for that particular make and model. KBB values are based on a number of factors, such as the car's make, model, year, mileage, condition, and features.

What is the blue black book value? ›

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.

Is Carfax value the same as blue book value? ›

CARFAX is not affiliated with Kelley Blue Book or Cox Automotive. The Kelley Blue Book (KBB) valuation process is complex and includes a lot of information. Unlike CARFAX, they do look at market conditions, seasonal factors, and regionalized values and pricing for over 100 different areas of the U.S.

Is book value usually higher than market value? ›

Market value tends to be greater than a company's book value since market value captures profitability, intangibles, and future growth prospects. Book value per share is a way to measure the net asset value investors get when they buy a share.

What is the blue book value? ›

The term “Blue Book Value” refers to the value of a vehicle by a guide known as the Kelley Blue Book. The guide not only lists the value of new vehicles, but it also lists used car values. Since the 1920s, the Kelley Blue Book has served as a standard within the auto industry in the United States.

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