1. How are Blue Book ® Values Determined?The New Car Blue Book® value reflects a vehicle's actual selling price and is based on tens of thousands of recent real sales transactions from auto dealers across the United States. The New Car Blue Book value is not calculated or based on a proprietary formula; instead it is derived from actual new vehicle sales and extensive knowledge of the marketplace.
2. What is the Blue Book ® Value Range?New Car Blue Book® pricing is offered as a single value, a range and information on current market conditions. The New Car Blue Book price represents the most common selling price for a given vehicle, but not all cars sell for the exact same price, which is why the company also offers a price range. The range represents prices that typically occur for each make and model. By showing both the low and high ends of the range the company can better reflect whether a given vehicle's selling price varies widely or hardly at all. Each new car pricing report also includes the current market conditions for that vehicle, a feature unique to Kelley Blue Book. These market conditions explain and help the consumer to better understand each New Car Blue Book value.
3. What are Market Conditions?Kelley Blue Book®'s editorial staff has included a special highlighted "Market Conditions" section for each vehicle, explaining the New Car Blue Book value. No other automotive information resource goes to this length to inform the consumer. The Market Conditions section includes information on things like limited release, one-price only, high demand, heavy, etc. Shoppers should pay special attention to this information to get the inside track on the current market and make the most informed car-buying decisions.
4. How often are Blue Book ® Values Updated?New Car Blue Book® values are updated at least weekly, or more often if market conditions dictate. Subtle changes taking place in the market as a result of supply and demand, new incentives and actual sales data will affect the frequency in which each vehicle's New Car Blue Book value will be updated.
5. What if a vehicle is new to the market?Kelley Blue Book® is committed to accurately reporting vehicle sale prices in the marketplace. If a vehicle is new to the market and there have not been enough real sales yet, kbb.com will not show a New Car Blue Book value. As soon as enough actual sales data is available, a New Car Blue Book value will be posted. Kelley Blue Book will never confuse you by applying a formula to derive the price or offer an MSRP to replace what should be actual sale prices.