Car Value & Depreciation Estimator
Estimate what your car is worth now
Enter what the car cost new, how old it is and your annual mileage. We apply typical UK depreciation curves to estimate roughly where its value sits today.
Estimated value today
£0
typical range —
Total value lost
£0
—% of the new price
Value retained
0%
of the original price
Estimate based on typical UK depreciation curves — not a live market valuation. We have no access to live used-car listings, so this is a transparent model, not a price for your specific car. Condition, service history, colour, spec, demand and the exact model all move the real figure. For a number you can act on, get a free valuation from your local dealer or an established service such as Auto Trader, Parkers, WeBuyAnyCar or your own main dealer’s part-exchange quote.
The assumptions we use
| Year 1 | ~25% of the new price is lost (typical UK range is roughly 15–35%). |
|---|---|
| Years 2–3 | a further ~14% of the new price is lost each year. |
| Years 4+ | ~9% of the then-current value is lost each year (depreciation slows as the car ages). |
| Mileage | baseline is 8,000 miles/year. Every 1,000 miles above that trims the value by ~1% (and below it adds a little back), capped at ±15%. |
| Floor | the estimate never drops below ~12% of the new price — most cars hold some residual value. |
How to read this
Depreciation is the single biggest cost of running a car — usually far bigger than fuel or servicing. Most new cars lose roughly a third of their value in the first year and around half by year three, then the curve flattens out. High mileage, an unpopular colour, a patchy service history or a model that’s just been replaced will all pull the real figure below this estimate; a sought-after spec, full history or low mileage will push it above.
Use this to sense-check a part-exchange offer or to understand which cars hold their value, then get a real, car-specific valuation before you buy or sell.
What moves the real figure in the UK market
- Fuel type and the EV swing. Used EV values have been volatile — strong models hold up, but some early EVs depreciated faster than petrol equivalents as new-car prices fell and battery-health questions grew. Diesel demand is softening in cities with clean-air zones.
- Service history. A full main-dealer or specialist history can add a meaningful chunk versus a patchy or missing one — buyers pay for proof.
- The new-plate cycle. Values typically soften just before the March and September plate changes, when more part-exchanges hit the market.
- Model replacement. When a new generation lands, the outgoing model usually drops a step — sometimes a buying opportunity if you don’t mind the older shape.
- Where you sell. A main-dealer part-exchange is convenient but usually the lowest price; an online buyer (WeBuyAnyCar etc.) is quick but trade-priced; a private sale gets the most but takes effort.
Email me this estimate (PDF)
Get a dated PDF of this depreciation estimate to keep or compare against a part-exchange offer.
Car valuation — frequently asked questions
Is this my car’s actual market value?
No — and we’re deliberately honest about that. We have no access to live used-car listings, so this is a transparent depreciation model, not a price for your specific car. It’s ideal for sense-checking whether an offer is in the right ballpark. For a number you can act on, get a free valuation from Auto Trader, Parkers, WeBuyAnyCar or a main-dealer part-exchange quote.
Why does mileage change the estimate so much?
Mileage is one of the first things a buyer or trade valuer checks. We use 8,000 miles a year as the UK baseline and adjust roughly 1% of value for every 1,000 miles above or below that, capped at ±15%. A high-mileage car of the same age and spec will sit at the lower end of the range; a genuinely low-mileage example with history sits at the top.
How accurate is the depreciation curve?
It reflects typical UK patterns: around a quarter to a third lost in year one, roughly half gone by year three, then a slower decline as the car ages, with a residual floor (most cars keep some value). Individual models vary a lot — desirable cars hold value far better than the average, and some depreciate faster. Treat the range, not the single figure, as the answer.
Should I sell privately or part-exchange?
Private sale almost always gets the most money but takes time and effort. A part-exchange is the most convenient and can offset VAT on the new car in some cases, but the price is usually the lowest. An instant online buyer sits in between on convenience and trade-level on price. This tool’s estimate is closest to a private-sale figure; expect a part-exchange or instant-buy offer to come in below it.