Kelley Blue Book vs. Black Book

When it comes to buying, selling, or trading in a pre-owned vehicle, it helps to know what you’d be paying or getting in return to put toward a new purchase. Two resources that help you with these numbers are Kelley Blue Book and Black Book. But which one would be more beneficial?

To help drivers like you around Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Plainfield, we here at Andy Mohr Automotive created this guide to Kelley Blue Book vs. Black Book value. Read about their similarities and differences below, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Difference Between Kelley Blue Book & Black Book 

Kelley Blue Book and Black Book provide information about how much you could get for a car that you’re selling or trading in. They also give you a sense of how much it could cost you to buy one.

Kelley Blue Book has been in business for over 90 years and is directed more toward the consumer. It’s especially helpful when buying or selling a vehicle in your area. In fact, you can’t get a price without specifying your zip code. This allows for a more accurate representation of what your vehicle is worth based off of geographic location, supply and demand. It's important to note that the Kelley Blue Book Fair Market Range does not take into account taxes, title and fees.

Black Book is part of the Hearst Business Corporation. And while it’s still useful for customers, it’s mainly targeted toward industry-qualified users who use the listed wholesale prices as a guide for pricing used cars.

Where Does the Data Come From?

Black Book gets its most up-to-date information from over 60 auctions around the country that it visits every week as well as banks and leasing companies. It collects data from wholesale auctions attended in person or online. It then applies mathematical adjustments to this data and compares them against dealer-advertised prices.

Kelley Blue Book gets price data from the same places as Black Book, along with new and used car dealerships. Plus, it updates its information weekly, while Black Book updates it daily.

And while they both provide trade-in and retail values on used cars, Kelley Blue Book also provides numbers on new cars and private-party sales.

Accessibility

Kelley Blue Book lets you check out new and used car prices directly on its website. All you need to do is plug in details about your vehicle and the site will generate a dollar value.

Black Book, meanwhile, requires a subscription, so its content isn’t as easily accessible. However, you could always use its price search feature on websites like CarQuotes.com or NewCars.com.

Despite the fact that you can’t access Black Book’s info without a subscription, many believe the data is more specific than Blue Book. This is because it offers several versions, like Black Book First Values and Black Book Daily.

Vehicle Ratings & Condition 

While each resource uses a rating system for used car conditions, their grades differ. Kelley Blue Book rates the condition of a used car as being Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor. Black Book, on the other hand, rates it at Clean, Average, or Rough.

Either way, you’ll get a good sense of the condition of your current vehicle or one that you’re interested in. And this condition will go toward evaluating how much it’s worth.

Learn More About Kelley Blue Book vs. Black Book Value

Regardless if you use Kelley Blue Book or Black Book, you’ll get a dependable source of data for making informed decisions about the value of your vehicle in the market. If you need more information on either resource, feel free to contact us at Andy Mohr Automotive.

We’re proud to help drivers in the Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Plainfield areas with their used car needs, and we look forward to doing the same for you.