What is my car worth?
Check it for free with live market data
23 July 2026 · 8 min read
Type "what is my car worth" into a search engine and you get served dozens of free valuation tools. Nearly all of them want your email address, your phone number and preferably your licence plate before you get to see a figure. That is no coincidence: most of those tools are lead generators for trade buyers. The figure that comes out is not a market value but an opening bid. The most honest free method works differently: you simply look at what sellers are actually asking right now for cars like yours. That is exactly the data Autoflip opens up for free, based on around 50,000 listings we scan every day on 2dehands.be, Marktplaats.nl, AutoScout24 BE and NL and Mobile.de (live measurement by Autoflip, July 2026).
Why most free valuations come out low
Behind most free valuation sites sits a simple business model: your details are the product. You enter your licence plate or brand and model, leave your contact details and get shown a "value" or a call from a trade buyer. That figure is in reality an opening bid. A trade buyer has to prep the car, carry warranty or risk and still earn something himself, so his bid deliberately sits below what a private buyer pays.
There is nothing dishonest about that and sometimes it is even useful: if you want your car gone today, you pay for that speed with a lower price. But if you want to know what your car is worth on the private market, a bid tells you nothing. You need market data. How much room there is between such a trade bid and the eventual selling price is something we work out in our article on the profit margin on a used car.
The most honest method: look at what sellers are asking now
The market value of your car is not a theoretical number from a table; it is what comparable cars cost right now in the places where everyone searches. Autoflip scans around 50,000 listings per day on 2dehands.be, Marktplaats.nl, AutoScout24 BE and NL and Mobile.de (live measurement by Autoflip, July 2026) and opens up that price data for free. No form, no call from a trader afterwards: you simply see the numbers that trade buyers themselves look at.
Four steps to a free valuation
Step 1: the Value check
Start at autoflip.eu/waarde-check. Choose brand, model and build year and you immediately see the median of the asking prices from the last 7 days plus the spread (p25-p75). That spread matters at least as much as the median: if your car is in better shape than average in terms of mileage and maintenance, aim towards p75; if it has damage or a lot of kilometres, p25 is more realistic.
Step 2: licence plate check for Dutch cars
For a car with a Dutch licence plate, autoflip.eu/kenteken-check is the fastest route. You only enter the plate; the tool retrieves the official RDW data (brand, model, build year, fuel) and links the current market price to it directly. That way you know for sure you are comparing with the right version instead of a list from memory.
Step 3: price per build year on the model pages
If you want to see how the price of your model develops per build year, check the model price pages via autoflip.eu/prijs. They cover around 300 models, from the Volkswagen Golf to less common types. Per build year you see what sellers are asking and how quickly the value drops per year: useful for judging whether that one extra year of age really makes such a difference.
Step 4: the big picture via the Price index
The Price index shows per brand how asking prices are developing. If your brand has been under pressure for months, waiting to sell is rarely a good idea; if it is rising, you are in slightly less of a hurry. It is the macro picture behind your individual valuation.
| Tool | What you enter | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Value check | Brand, model and build year | Median and spread (p25-p75) from the last 7 days |
| Licence plate check | Only your plate (NL) | Official RDW data plus current market price |
| Model price pages | Your model (±300 available) | Asking price per build year |
| Price index | Your brand | Price development at brand level |
All four tools are free and work without registration.
Asking price is not selling price
Important to state honestly: we show asking prices, not selling prices. The asking price is what the seller hopes to get; after negotiation the actual selling price usually sits slightly below it. How much exactly differs per model and per season. If the median for your model stands at 12,500 euros for example (rounded illustrative example, check the tool for the current figure), then most cars presumably change hands for slightly less. So treat the numbers as a well-founded indication, not as a guaranteed return. How buyers try to stretch that negotiation room is covered in our guide on negotiating with a private seller.
Median or average: why the median is more honest
The Value check deliberately shows the median and not the average. The average gets skewed by outliers; the median (the middle price when you sort all listings) does not. A worked example: if ten cars are for sale, nine around 10,000 euros and one restored top-spec version for 60,000 euros, then the average suddenly becomes 15,000 euros while no normal buyer pays that. The median simply stays at 10,000 euros and that is the figure you can actually use.
Why the same car is more expensive at a dealer
Compare your car with dealer stock and it suddenly seems worth a lot more. Dealer prices sit structurally higher and there are good reasons for that: a dealer provides a legal warranty, preps the car technically and cosmetically for sale and charges a margin for his costs and risk. On top of that, dealer stock is younger on average with fewer kilometres. For your valuation as a private seller, what counts is mainly the private supply. We lay out the full price difference between the two channels on our dealer versus private page.
From valuation to sale
Once you have a figure, turn it into a smart asking price: within the range of comparable listings and preferably just under a search threshold (4,950 instead of 5,100). Together with good photos and the right posting moment, that makes the difference between being for sale for days or for months. How to handle all of that step by step is covered in our guide on selling your car faster.
Frequently asked questions
How do I determine the value of my car for free?+
Look at what sellers are actually asking right now for comparable cars. Autoflip's Value check shows per brand, model and build year the median and the spread (p25-p75) of asking prices from the last 7 days, based on around 50,000 listings per day on 2dehands, Marktplaats, AutoScout24 BE and NL and Mobile.de. Free and without having to leave your details.
Are free online car valuations reliable?+
Be critical: many free valuation tools are lead generators for trade buyers. You leave your details and the figure that follows is an opening bid rather than a market value, often well below what a private buyer pays. A valuation based on real asking prices is more honest because there is no buyer behind it who needs to make a margin.
What is the difference between asking price and selling price?+
The asking price is what the seller puts in the listing; the selling price is what is actually paid after negotiation. The latter is usually slightly lower. Market data based on asking prices is therefore indicative: factor in a small negotiation margin yourself if you want to know what your car will net you.
Why is the same car more expensive at a dealer?+
A dealer provides a legal warranty, preps the car for sale and charges a margin for his costs and risk. Dealer stock is also younger on average with fewer kilometres. That is why dealer prices sit structurally above private asking prices. So compare your car with other private listings, not with the dealer price of the same model.
How accurate is an online car value estimate?+
An online estimate is a model that works from make, model, build year, mileage and what comparable cars are asking at that moment. What the model cannot see is your car: tyre condition, service history, options, small damage. That makes such a figure a starting point, not an appraisal. Use it to know which band you are in, then set your asking price within that band based on what you know about the car.
What data does an online car value estimate use?+
Essentially listings of comparable cars: same make, model, build year and similar mileage. Some services mix in transaction data or trade-in values. Autoflip deliberately shows ASKING PRICES only, measured across five platforms over the last 7 days. The page says so. That is what you are bidding against when you sell.
Will I get a fair price for my car?+
That depends less on the platform than on your asking price relative to everyone else. Sit clearly above the median of comparable listings and you mostly serve as the comparison that makes cheaper cars look good. Sit below it and the car goes fast but you leave money on the table. Knowing the median and the spread is half the job.
Value checked? Find your next car first.
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