Free car valuation

Whether you're buying or selling a car, it's vital to know the vehicle's value. It'll mean you're more informed when it comes to negotiating a price with any potential buyer or seller.

Our car valuation tool will give you a car's price straight away, putting you in a strong position when it comes to agreeing a price by knowing your car's value. All we need is the vehicle registration number and you can start right away! What you do with this information will depend on:

• If you're buying a car
• If you're selling a car

If you're buying a car, our car valuation tool will show you how much your desired car is worth. Once you've typed in the reg of the car you'll have to choose whether you're planning on buying or selling that car.

You'll then be presented with four different prices: the private value, part-exchange value, forecourt value and quick sale value. These can help you decide who to buy from and work out if a seller's price is fair.

If you're selling a car, you can use our car valuation tool to get an accurate idea of what price to sell your car for. This is key when negotiating a sale, as it allows you to guard against any buyer who offers you a price that's below the vehicle's worth. Again, we'll ask you for the registration of the car and if you plan on buying or selling it.

We'll then give you the car's sale price via a private sale, part-exchange, forecourt and quick sale. This allows you to choose the best way to sell your vehicle.

Your car's value can be affected by lots of different things, both good and bad. This can mean a difference of thousands of pounds to the final sale price so it's good to get an idea of where your car might rank.

A car's value can be increased by:

• Having no damage
• Providing a complete service history
• Certain car colours
• Additional features
• How and where the car is sold

A car's value can be decreased by:

• Modifications
• Wear and tear
• Broken car parts
• Car documents that aren't up to date
• A higher number of previous owners

Having no damage to the car is ideal as a car in excellent condition with minimal to no damage or markings will sell for a higher price.

Providing a complete service history record for the car will increase its value as potential buyers can see that the car has been regularly serviced and taken care of.

Certain car colours are more desirable than others to potential buyers. These cars will usually sell for more than a car with a less desirable colour. Different colours are popular on different models, it probably isn't worth paying for a respray.

Additional features such as a built-in sat nav, dash cam, rear-parking camera or a multimedia system in the car can help it sell for a higher price.

How and where the car is sold can affect its value. Selling your car through Confused.com means you'll get a quick and easy sale with minimal fuss – and possibly get a better deal than through a private sale.

Modifications made to cars can decrease the value. Unmodified cars are usually more desirable to buyers. Keep this in mind if you're planning to modify a car that you may want to sell in the future. Modifications might not put off potential buyers but some insurers may refuse to insure a modified car.

Wear and tear and scratches to the bodywork can bring down the value of a car. Spending a bit of cash to replace or repair damaged parts could be well worth it when it comes to selling.

Broken car parts that need repairing or replacing, will have a negative effect on the car's value.

Car documents that aren't up to date, such as no current MOT or gaps in the car's service history, can have just as negative an effect on a car's value as physical damage.

A higher number of previous owners can also affect the value of the car. Generally, the more owners a car has had, the less the car will be worth.