How Much is My Car Worth?
Get a real, written offer from a licensed Queensland buyer, sent by email or text within the hour. Completely free, no obligation.
Value My Car
Free offer from a licensed dealer. No obligation. Photos required.
The Market Value of Your Car, Explained
We're Brisbane's licensed car buyer (LMD 4785817). Every valuation runs through the same live market data feed that dealers across Australia use, then it's weighed against nationwide auction results and real sales prices, then a person on our team checks it against current stock demand, market desirability, reconditioning costs and your photos before your number goes out. That way you're getting the best possible offer without the fear of re-negotiation.
Get your value by email or text within the hour (business hours, but often outside of them). From a person, valid for 7 days.
So how much is my car worth right now? It depends which number you're looking at. A generic car valuation calculator gives you a data-based estimate built from national averages, useful for a rough guide, but it's not a number anyone will actually hand over. The market value of your car, what a private buyer might pay after weeks of negotiation, and what a licensed buyer offers today are three different figures. The gap between them is where most private sellers get caught out.
The details that actually move your number, service history, tyres, condition, rego, are the things a car valuation calculator can't see. It just knows the badge and the year. That's why two people with the "same" car can get offers thousands apart once they actually value their car with a real inspection, instead of guessing off an online average. What we weigh up is broken down further below.
Free Car Valuation vs Car Valuation Tools
Every car valuation tool pulls from a different data set and shows you a different kind of number. Some are built for browsing, some for negotiating, and only one puts a real dollar figure in your account. Knowing which is which saves you from anchoring on a market value of my car figure that nobody's actually going to pay. Ask "what's the market value of my car" on five different tools and you'll get five different answers, because they're not all answering the same question.
| Tool | What the number means | Do you get paid that? |
|---|---|---|
| Carsales instant offer | Algorithm estimate, no inspection | Often revised down after inspection |
| RedBook / Glass's Guide | Wholesale/trade reference range dealers use | Reference only, not an offer |
| Dealer trade-in | Wholesale floor, tied to a new car purchase | Yes, but usually 15-25% below market value |
| Sell Any Car Fast | Written offer, priced off live market data and many factors | Yes, same-day bank transfer |
None of these numbers are wrong, they're just answering different questions. RedBook and Glass's Guide tell you what dealers pay each other at auction, useful if you want to understand wholesale pressure on a model, but it's not a retail figure and it's not what you'll get selling privately. Carsales' instant offer tools run an algorithm against listing data, which is why the number so often moves once a real person actually looks at the car. A dealer trade-in solves for convenience, not price, you're paying for the ease of rolling one transaction into another. If what you actually want is an answer to how much is my car worth today, in this condition, in this market, the only way to get it is a written offer from someone who buys cars for a living and stands behind the number.
Already had a Carsales instant offer? See how it stacks up: Sell Any Car Fast vs Carsales Instant Offer.
Value My Car in 3 Steps
Enter your car's details and photos
Year, make, model, odometer, mechanical condition, your suburb, plus a few photos. Takes about 2 minutes and means your number is accurate first time, not revised down once we see the car.
Get your value by email or text
Priced against live market data, current demand and your photos, sent within the hour (business hours).
Decide when you're ready
No obligation. Ready to go? We handle the paperwork, inspect anywhere, pay same day. See what you need to sell your car.
What Actually Decides Your Car's Value
No two cars are worth the same, even the same make and model. It comes down to how yours has been looked after and what buyers around Brisbane are paying for one like it this week. An online calculator can't see any of that, which is why its figure so often falls apart once a real buyer takes a look.
Our approach is the opposite. Give us the real details of your car and we price it against live market demand, not a national average or a headline number designed to reel you in and drop later.
Make, Model and Buyer Demand
Some cars move faster in the Brisbane market than others. High-demand utes and SUVs like the Hilux, Ranger, RAV4 and LandCruiser hold their value because there's a queue of buyers behind them. Harder-to-shift models still sell, the price just reflects the smaller pool of buyers.
Odometer and Age
Kilometres that sit low for the car's age lift the offer, and under 100,000km with a full service history is the sweet spot. But a high reading is no dead end, plenty of models are built to keep going well past it and are valued accordingly.
Overall Condition
Bodywork, panels, cabin wear, tyres and the way it drives all shape the number. Tell us straight about any hail damage or outstanding mechanical work, timing chain, DPF, turbo or transmission. It doesn't put us off, it just means we get your offer right on the first pass.
Service Records and Keys
A full logbook, receipts and a second key all nudge the price up, because they make the car an easier sell down the line. Missing any of it won't sink the deal, but having it counts in your favour.
Registration Status
A car with a current roadworthy and 6+ months of Queensland rego is worth more than the identical car with none. Even so, we buy unregistered cars every week, so no rego shifts the number rather than ruling you out.
Where the Market Sits Today
Used prices in Brisbane shift week to week with auction results, the season and how much stock is around. That's why we won't hand you a fixed price table, any site that does is quoting the past, not making you an offer.
Car Valuation FAQs
Is this free?
Yes. No cost to submit your details and photos, no cost to receive your value by email or text, no obligation to sell.
How accurate is the valuation?
It's priced off live wholesale and retail market data (AutoGrab) plus your photos and a licensed buyer's read on current demand. More accurate than a generic online calculator because a person checks your actual car before it goes out, not a guess based on the badge and year alone.
Will you just give me a number, or will you buy the car?
Both. The number is a genuine written offer, not a ballpark. Accept it and we buy the car. Don't, and there's no obligation, no follow-up pressure.
Do you value cars with finance owing?
Yes. Tell us in the form and we'll factor in the payout when we send your value by email or text. We can pay your loan out directly and transfer any balance to you. See how selling with finance works in Queensland.
What if my car doesn't have a roadworthy?
Still fine. Tell us the condition honestly and show it in the photos, it's factored into the number, no roadworthy needed on your end.
How long is the valuation valid for?
7 days from when we send it to you, as long as the car matches the photos and details you gave us.
Is this the same as a car valuation calculator?
No. A calculator gives you an average based on year, make and model. We add your actual condition, odometer and photos, then a licensed buyer prices it, so the number reflects your car, not a category of car.
How is this different to just checking the market value online?
Checking market value online tells you what similar cars are listed for, not what they sold for or what you'd get in hand. Our number is a written offer, not a listing price, and it's backed by a licensed Queensland dealer.
Find Out What Your Car Is Worth Today
Get your value by email or text within the hour. Real offer from a real buyer, not an algorithm guess.
