How we estimate prices and check cars
AskCar brings together UK dealer adverts, price history and recorded MOT information to help you assess a used car.
Market coverage and updates
We cover over 99% of the UK's dealer used car adverts, from dealerships across the UK. This figure refers to adverts, not the share of dealerships. It excludes private sales and cars not advertised for sale.
As of 2 November 2026, AskCar lists 586,270 cars and vans for sale from 12,920 UK dealerships. Each dealership is counted once, regardless of how many cars it advertises. Dealerships without a confirmed identity are left out of this count.
We refresh our stock data daily. Each update is checked before it replaces the previous dataset. The stock observation date records which dataset a listing uses. A dealer may change a price or sell a car between updates, so confirm the current details with the dealer.
Two prices: the typical asking price and the AskCar estimate
The typical asking price describes a group of cars, such as every used Audi A3 for sale near a town. It is the median: half the cars in the group cost less and half cost more.
The AskCar estimate describes one car. It is our expected asking price for that car, worked out from UK dealer adverts. It is an advertised price, not a confirmed sale price or a promise of what a car will sell for.
How the AskCar estimate is worked out
The calculation accounts for make, model, trim, version, age, mileage, fuel, gearbox, body type, driven wheels, engine size and power. It learns how age and mileage affect different makes and models, and uses broader market patterns where a specification has few examples.
The number of priced adverts given with an AskCar estimate is the number of adverts of that make and model the calculation used, across different ages and specifications, as of the stock date. They are not all exact matches. We only show an AskCar estimate where there is enough supporting data.
A price is good value when it is 8% or more under the AskCar estimate, a fair price from under 8% below it to 8% above it, and above the going rate when it is more than 8% above it. A price 25% or more under the estimate is far below the going rate, and worth asking the dealer why. The percentage shown next to a difference is rounded down, and shown as "under 1%" below that.
We filter unsuitable prices and avoid counting the same car repeatedly in market comparisons. Condition, service history, optional equipment and dealer extras may still affect an individual car's price. The estimate does not directly assess those details.
Other matching cars
This comparison uses cars with the same make, model, year, trim, gearbox and fuel. Their mileage and other specifications can differ. We show their mileage alongside their prices where it is available. Two high-mileage cars asking less do not, by themselves, establish the right price for a low-mileage car.
Mileage and MOT checks
We compare mileage with other cars of the same make, model and year. The median mileage is the middle reading in that group. We only make this comparison when there are enough records.
Separately, we compare the advertised mileage with the latest recorded MOT reading. We flag an advertised reading more than 500 miles below that record, allowing a small margin for rounding and data-entry differences. A consistent reading is not proof of the car's complete mileage history.
An MOT expiry date comes from the recorded test information. A current MOT is not a guarantee of the car's condition. Missing information is not treated as a passed check. When the latest record we hold ran out before the stock date, we say so and do not call the MOT valid: the car may have been tested since. We say a car's first MOT is not yet due only when the DVLA holds no test and the car is less than three model years old.
An advertised mileage under 1,000 miles on a car three or more model years old is almost always a mistake in the advert. We show the advertised figure and say it looks wrong for the car's age.
A car's line says "ULEZ compliant" when its fuel and recorded Euro emissions standard meet the London Ultra Low Emission Zone rule: petrol from Euro 4, diesel from Euro 6, or electric. We say nothing when the rule is not met or the standard is not recorded. Transport for London's checker, by registration, is the final word.
Advert dates and price history
We count how long a car has been advertised from the day AskCar first saw the advert to the stock date. We do not know when the dealer first placed it. Price history shows the asking prices recorded on each observation date; a change may have happened between observations. The reduction in an overview is the difference between the first recorded asking price and the current asking price. It is not the sum of every price cut.
A long advertising period and a price reduction may give you a reason to discuss the price. They do not mean the dealer will accept a lower offer.
How the overview is written
Our overviews use factual templates filled with each car's data. Wording can vary, but the facts and checks stay the same. Missing facts are omitted and concerns are included.