How Mileage, Condition and Trim Affect Your Car's Value

Your car is priced against the same car for sale today: same year, same trim, similar kilometres. Mileage, condition and trim are how yours differs, and each one moves the price by a different amount.

How much does mileage lower a car's value?

In our buying, about $1,000 for every 10,000 km. With 20,000 km more than comparable cars, yours is worth about $2,000 less. With 20,000 km fewer, about $2,000 more.

Corollas and Hondas move slower, about $1,000 per 15,000 km, because they're the easiest cars to sell.

Canadian drivers usually cover 15,000 to 20,000 km a year, so a five year old car with 75,000 to 100,000 km is typical. Check your kilometres against a typical car of the same age.

At what kilometres does a car get harder to sell?

Around 130,000 km. Past that, the kilometres become the first thing a buyer reacts to, and the car takes longer to sell. The offer reflects that.

Want the number for your own car? Get a free offer. It takes about a minute.

Do highway kilometres count for less?

No. It's often true, but nobody pricing cars can check how the kilometres were driven, so nobody pays for the explanation.

Between two cars of the same year, kilometres are usually the biggest difference, ahead of condition and history.

Which condition problems lower an offer?

The ones the next buyer will see or pay for: dents, scrapes, interior damage, warning lights and worn parts. They're checked at the inspection, so the offer is adjusted to the car that's actually there.

Worn parts are priced as a repair bill. Brakes, suspension and tires come off at about what the work costs. On one car we bought, the only issue was tires. The Michelin Pilot Sports it needed cost about $1,500 to $2,000 a set, and that's what the price talk was about.

How do you check your tires before you sell?

Use a toonie. Push it into the shallowest groove, bear standing upright, and see how far up the coin the tread comes:

1. 1.Up to the bear's paws: close to new
2. 2.Covering only the silver ring: about half worn
3. 3.Only into the letters on the ring: due for replacement

Worn tires come off an offer at about what a new set costs, so say so up front. For winter tires, Transport Canada advises against driving on them with 4 mm of tread or less.

What should you do about a warning light?

Find out what it means before you sell, even if you won't fix it. A light tells a buyer something is wrong but not what, and an unknown problem gets priced as the expensive version.

A code reader plugs into the port under the driver's side of the dash and shows the fault code. Auto parts stores sell basic ones, and many repair shops will read it for you. Then you can describe the problem as it is.

Should you fix anything before you sell?

Usually not. A new windshield or catching up on maintenance won't add the $1,000 to $1,500 people hope for on an everyday car. The exception is something like a $200,000 car, where the next buyer expects everything to be perfect.

Accessories like a dash cam add nothing, so keep them, but take them out carefully. A pillar trim that won't clip back in counts as damage.

How much does trim change what your car is worth?

Less than most owners expect. Your exact trim is valued as its own vehicle. Nobody starts with the base model and adds for the sunroof and leather.

The trim is checked against the car itself, not the ad. The equipment gives it away: on a 2024 Honda HR-V, no sunroof means an LX, not a Sport.

Equipment Alberta buyers want, like all-wheel drive and remote start, does matter. Your VIN settles the trim in one step, which is why an accurate offer asks for it.