What your trade-in is really worth, and why the number moves

Every appraisal starts with a book value, and every book value is an average. It assumes a vehicle in ordinary condition, with ordinary mileage, in an ordinary market. Yours is a specific vehicle in a specific week, and that is where the number moves.

Condition is the biggest single factor and the one most owners underestimate. Reconditioning comes out of the number: tyres, brakes, a windscreen, a panel that needs paint. None of it is punitive — it is what we have to spend before the vehicle can go on the front line.

Mileage matters less than people expect and history matters more. A well-serviced vehicle with 90,000 miles and a full record is worth more to us than a neglected one with 60,000.

The last factor is what we already have. If we have four of yours on the lot, we are the wrong buyer that week and we will say so rather than lowball you. Ask another dealer — that is a real answer, not a brush-off.