By Ané Theron

 

Are you looking for a good deal on a BMW X1, or perhaps planning to sell yours? Find out what the value of a used X1 will be.  

 

Everyone wants an SUV these days, and that's good news for SUV retention values, even more so if it's a German brand. While not quite as likely to retain value like a VW Tiguan or Mazda CX-5 would, the X1 is still going to fetch a good price, whether you sell it to a dealership or whether you decide to go the private route.

The X1 made the top 5 list of best pre-owned cars under R505 000 a year ago, with a value retention of 86 percent for the sDrive 20i. Its retail price was R441 500 back then. Interestingly, it was beaten by the Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.2 TD4 S (in 4th place), the Toyota RAV4 2.2 VX (3rd place), and the Hyundai Tucson 1.6TGDi Elite DCT (2nd place). The evergreen Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 R/B (auto) took the no.1 position.

 

How do I figure out what my X1 is worth?

The best way to figure out what your pre-loved X1 is worth, is to go onto the AutoTrader sales site, and see what dealerships are asking for their used BMW X1s in the same variant, and with similar mileage and spec level as yours (yes, you can now search by variant!) Just remember that the dealership has already added their markup to get the retail price, which can be 20-30 percent more than trade price, in other words, what they'd be willing to pay you for your car.

Now, go and have a look what private sellers as well as AutoTrader Verified Private Vehicles on AutoTrader are going for, by selecting 'Seller Type' from the dropdown menu on the left. This will give you a more accurate indication of what your X1 is worth. Click here to see how this Verified Private Vehicle BMW X1 search works.

 

Second and third opinions...

If you're still not happy, visit some other classified sites to see private seller prices, but AutoTrader is widely regarded as the benchmark when it comes to pricing. If you are looking to make some money, selling privately is the way to go, but do bear in mind that there is more admin involved. There are also various tools online to give you an estimated value of your car, but remember that not all factors can be taken into consideration, such as expensive optional extras and general condition. Even though you may think your car is in excellent nick, a dealership may not. In the end, physically having a valuation done at a dealership will shed the most light on your used car's price, however, it may also depend whether you plan to sell the car to the dealership in question, or not... (now read Where can you get your car valued?)

 

Recommended reading

Click here to read Which BMW X1 is better: diesel or petrol? And for X1 reviews click here.