You've decided to sell your car, but now comes the tricky part: what do you ask for it?
Price it too high and your listing sits there for weeks while buyers scroll past. Price it too low, and you leave thousands of rands on the table. Neither is ideal.
We've been writing about car sales, valuations, and pricing strategies for years, and the same questions keep coming up: "What's my car actually worth?" and "How do I know I'm not being ripped off?"
Figuring out your car's value isn't complicated if you know where to look and what factors matter. Here's how to do it properly.
How to know how much your car is worth?
Understanding trade value vs. retail value
Before you do anything else, understand that your car has two different values, and which one you use depends on how you're selling.
Trade value is the amount a dealer will offer you when you trade in your car for another vehicle. This is the lowest number you'll see, because the dealer needs to make a profit when they resell it. Trade value is usually 10% to 20% lower than retail, depending on the car's age and condition.
Retail value is what a dealer would ask for your car if it were sitting on their showroom floor. This is the highest number because it includes the dealer's markup, reconditioning costs, warranty, and profit margin.
Private sale value sits somewhere in between. You're not a dealer, so buyers expect to pay less than retail. But you're also not desperate to offload it quickly, so you should get more than trade value.
Which value matters to you?
If you're trading in at a dealership, trade value is what you'll get (maybe slightly more if you negotiate well or if they really want to sell you a new car).
If you're selling privately, you should aim for a price between trade and retail. Closer to retail if your car is in excellent condition with low mileage and a full service history. Closer to trade if it's got high mileage, some cosmetic damage, or patchy service records.
If you're valuing it for insurance purposes, use retail value. That's what it would cost to replace your car if it's written off or stolen.
Step 1: Get a free online valuation
The fastest way to get a baseline number is to use our free valuation tool. It takes about 30 seconds.
You enter your car's details (make, model, registration year, mileage, condition, and location), and the tool gives you an instant estimate based on live market data from thousands of actual listings and sales across South Africa.
This isn't a guess: The tool is powered by AutoTrader Intelligence, an AI platform built in-house by South African data scientists and engineers using over 30 years of proprietary market data. It analyses real-time market trends, specifications, age, fuel type, and engine size to determine what your car is worth right now, in your area, based on your mileage and condition.
That means the valuation isn't static or based on outdated price guides. It's live. It changes as the market changes. And it's built specifically for the South African market.
Once you have that number, you can decide what to do next. If you're happy with the estimate and you want to sell fast, you can submit an application for an Instant Offer. Upload a few photos, and AutoTrader's buying partners will make you an obligation-free offer within 60 minutes. If you accept, they come to you, handle the paperwork, and pay you within 24hrs. For more info on this, read How does AutoTrader's Instant Offer work?
If you'd rather sell privately to get more money, the valuation is still a useful starting point. Get your free valuation here
Step 2: Check what similar cars are selling for
The valuation tool gives you a baseline, but you should validate it by checking what actual buyers are willing to pay.
Go to AutoTrader and search for cars like yours. Same make, same model, same year, similar mileage, same transmission (manual or auto), and similar spec level. The more specific you can be, the better.
Look at both dealership listings and private sales. Dealership prices will be higher (that's retail value). Private sale prices will be lower.
If your 2020 Toyota Corolla has 60,000 km and a full service history, and you see similar cars listed privately for R280,000 to R310,000, you now know your realistic range.
Don't just look at one or two listings. Check at least five to ten similar cars to get a proper sense of the market. And shrink your search radius to your area. A car in Cape Town might sell for slightly different money than the same car in Johannesburg, depending on local demand.
Read more: How to set the right price for my car?
Step 3: Adjust for condition, service history, and extras
Your car isn't exactly like every other listing. Maybe yours has leather seats, and the others don't. Maybe yours has a small dent on the back bumper. These details affect value.
Things that INCREASE your car's value:
Full service history (all services done at the right intervals, stamped in the book)
Low mileage for the year
Remaining factory warranty or service plan
Desirable optional extras (leather, sunroof, navigation, premium sound)
Excellent condition (no scratches, dents, stains, or mechanical issues)
One or two careful owners (not five)
Recent major service or new tyres/brakes
Things that DECREASE your car's value:
Incomplete or missing service history
High mileage for the year
Accident damage (even if repaired)
Poor interior condition (tears, stains, worn seats)
Mismatched or worn tyres
Mechanical issues (warning lights, strange noises, oil leaks)
Missing paperwork (no service book, no owner's manual)
Aftermarket modifications (lowered suspension, non-standard wheels, tinted windows can put buyers off)
Be honest with yourself. If your car has a patchy service history and a bumper scrape, don't price it at the top of the range. If it's pristine with full books and low mileage, don't undersell it.
Read more: How to prepare my car for sale
Step 4: Decide your asking price (and leave room to negotiate)
Now that you know your range, you need to pick a specific asking price.
If you want to sell quickly, price it at the lower end of the range or slightly below. You'll get more calls, more viewings, and a faster sale.
If you're not in a rush and you want to get the most money possible, price it at the higher end of the range. You'll wait longer, but you might get your number.
Here's a smart strategy: price your car 5% to 10% higher than your target selling price. Why? Because buyers will negotiate. They always do. If you want R300,000, ask for R320,000. When they offer R310,000, you "meet them halfway" at R305,000, and everyone feels like they got a deal.
Use pricing psychology, too. An asking price of R319,900 looks more attractive than R325,000, even though it's basically the same. People see the "1" after the 3 and mentally file it under "R310k" instead of "R320k." It's silly, but it works.
Read more: How to decide your asking price when selling your car
Step 5: Know what dealers will offer (it's less)
If you're considering selling to a dealer or trading in, understand this: dealers will offer you 10% to 15% less than private sale value. Sometimes more, depending on the car.
Why? Because they need to recondition the car (valet, fix small issues, maybe replace tyres), advertise it, carry it on their floor for weeks or months, offer a warranty, and still make a profit when they sell it.
That's not a rip-off. That's business. But it means if your car is worth R300,000 privately, a dealer might offer you R255,000 to R270,000.
The trade-off? Selling to a dealer is fast, easy, and safe. No haggling with strangers in parking lots. No scammers. No paperwork headaches. You get paid immediately and move on with your life.
If speed and convenience matter more than getting every last rand, a dealer trade-in or our Instant Offer makes sense.
Read more: Should I sell my car privately or trade it in at a dealership?
Common pricing mistakes to avoid
Pricing based on what you owe, not what the car is worth.
The bank doesn't care that you still owe R250,000. If the car is only worth R220,000, that's what buyers will pay. Don't let your loan balance cloud your pricing.
Ignoring the market because "I know what I paid for it."
You paid R400,000 three years ago. Great. But depreciation is real, and the market decides value, not your memory. Check current listings.
Pricing too high because "someone will negotiate down."
Buyers scroll past overpriced listings. They don't call to negotiate if your price is wildly off. You'll just sit there wondering why nobody's interested.
Forgetting to factor in service history.
A car with no service history is worth significantly less than one with full books. If you can't prove it was serviced, buyers assume it wasn't.
Not cleaning the car before listing it.
Dirty cars photograph badly and signal to buyers that you didn't care for it. Spend the money on a proper valet. It could add thousands to your sale price.
At a glance: How to value your car in 5 steps
1. Get a free online valuation from our valuation tool (30 seconds, based on live market data).
2. Search our site for similar cars (same make, model, year, mileage, condition) to validate the range.
3. Adjust for your car's specific condition, service history, and extras.
4. Set your asking price 5% to 10% above your target to leave room for negotiation.
5. Decide if you want to sell privately (more money, more effort) or to a dealer/Instant Offer (less money, zero hassle).
Ready to sell?
If you want to skip the guesswork and get a fast, fair offer, use our Instant Offer. You'll get a valuation in seconds, an offer within 60 minutes, and payment within 24 hours if you accept. No haggling, no strangers, no admin. Start here.
If you'd rather sell privately and maximise your return, use the valuation as your starting point, clean your car, take great photos, and list it on AutoTrader, where millions of serious buyers will see it.
Either way, now you know what your car is worth. And that's half the battle.
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