Read the market summary, explore all three charts, and inspect or sort the comparable vehicles behind the displayed appraisal.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”Access: Admin access, with Market Research enabled for your dealership.
- A loaded appraisal with the correct vehicle and odometer when known.
- The comparison area and filters you intend to use. Read Basis before interpreting the estimate.
- Time to review individual listings as well as summary figures. Market estimates and reported asking prices are not guaranteed selling outcomes.
Where to go
Insights → Market Research → Appraise a vehicle → Market evidence
Watch the walkthrough
Section titled “Watch the walkthrough”21:07 · English narration · Fictional demonstration
The video could not load. Try the video file, or use the written steps and transcript below.
Follow the complete Market research task, from normal navigation and vehicle entry through comparable evidence, prices, offers, recovery and the finished printout. English captions are included in the picture; a selectable caption track is also available.
All 25 video chapters
- Appraise a vehicle
- Open Market Research
- Enter a VIN or vehicle details
- Complete a partial or failed VIN lookup
- Choose comparison trims
- Check and correct the vehicle
- Choose the search area and listing status
- Narrow or widen the comparable set
- Read the market summary
- Set an asking price
- Read selling history and demand
- Enter costs and target profit
- See the effect of a cost change
- Choose which figure stays fixed
- Review warnings and cost context
- Review selling-time estimates
- Explore the Curve view
- Inspect comparable vehicles in Scatter
- Review ranks and available price suggestions
- Read and sort the Competitive set
- Review excluded cars and listing links
- Keep a copy of the finished appraisal
- Return through Recent appraisals
- Resolve unavailable data and controls
- Find help and review the outcome
Read the video transcript
0:03 · Appraise a vehicle
Let's appraise a vehicle in Carvio. We'll find the workspace, check comparable listings, choose an asking price, and review what we could pay after allowing for costs and profit. Then we'll keep a print copy of the finished worksheet.
Our example is fictional: a 2021 BMW X3 xDrive30i, with sixty eight thousand, six hundred and seventy nine kilometres. The market evidence and estimates are demonstration data. Follow the same decisions with your own vehicle, and review the results you actually receive.
We'll cover the alternatives and the places people get stuck. Use the chapters when you want to return to one part, and keep the written guide alongside the video.
0:48 · Open Market Research
Start in the application sidebar. Under Insights, open Market Research, then choose Appraise a vehicle. You should see the vehicle entry form. On a phone, open the application navigation first, then follow the same route.
The workspace currently requires Admin access and Market Research enabled for your dealership. If the menu is missing, check that you're signed in to the intended dealership, then ask your administrator to check access and feature availability.
Before starting, have the year, make and model ready. A VIN and current odometer reading help you identify the vehicle. If you'll review an offer, have your own reconditioning and certification allowances, and your target profit. You can begin without a VIN.
1:35 · Enter a VIN or vehicle details
With a VIN available, paste its seventeen characters into VIN. Wait for decoding to finish, then check Year, Make and Model. The decoded message is a prompt to review the details, rather than a reason to skip that check.
For our BMW, confirm 2021, BMW and X3. The vehicle's reported configuration is xDrive30i. We'll add comparison trims separately. Enter sixty eight thousand, six hundred and seventy nine in Odometer. The unit here is kilometres. If you don't know the reading, leave it empty.
Without a VIN, choose Year and type Make and Model yourself. Those three fields are required. Appraise vehicle becomes available when they're complete. We'll keep our BMW details and odometer as we continue.
2:25 · Complete a partial or failed VIN lookup
A VIN lookup can return only part of the information. If you see partially decoded, complete any missing Year, Make or Model. The message below VIN tells you which required details still need attention.
If you see That VIN did not decode, enter those details below. If the message says The decoder did not answer, you can also continue manually. Pressing Enter in VIN retries the lookup when you want to try it again.
Check the details again after changing a VIN or vehicle name. Do not carry an earlier vehicle's information into a different appraisal. In this alternate example we've shown the missing-information states; now we'll return to our complete BMW entry.
3:10 · Choose comparison trims
Open Trim to choose the configurations you want to compare. You can select more than one. These are comparison choices; selecting another trim does not change the vehicle's decoded details.
Where available, an option shows a listed count and a price. Those counts can differ from the final comparable count on the worksheet. Some configurations may be unavailable because their listing details conflict or remain unresolved. Choose relevant available comparisons rather than forcing an uncertain option.
If comparison trims could not be loaded, the message says your selections are retained. You can still check the required vehicle fields. For our example, choose the matching xDrive30i comparison, confirm the odometer, then select Appraise vehicle. Wait for the worksheet to load.
4:02 · Check and correct the vehicle
Check the vehicle name, VIN when shown, and odometer. Review Basis and the comparison controls to confirm what you are comparing. Scroll to reach the remaining sections.
Choose Edit vehicle to correct the information. Make your changes, then choose Update appraisal. Cancel closes the editor without applying them. Changing the year, make, model or VIN begins a fresh pricing state, so review the worksheet again.
For a quick mileage correction, select Odometer beside the vehicle name. Enter the reading, then press Enter or select the checkmark. Clicking outside cancels this inline edit. Use the x or Escape to cancel deliberately. We'll keep our original reading.
4:46 · Choose the search area and listing status
Read Basis before choosing a price. It shows the years, matching scope and number of comparable cars supporting this view. If it says broader trims or a broader year range, your evidence is wider than an exact configuration match.
Under Look, choose Within for a distance around your area, My province, or Nationwide. When Within is selected, use the radius control. A new appraisal normally begins at two hundred and fifty kilometres, but a reopened appraisal can retain a different search.
Choose Active plus sold to include both groups, or Active only. Review the small window description beside that choice. After changing the scope, wait for Updating market data to finish, then check Basis, the count and the estimate again. Your chosen asking price is retained.
5:37 · Narrow or widen the comparable set
Use the Odometer minimum and maximum fields when a mileage range matters. Enter whole, non-negative readings and keep the minimum no higher than the maximum. Press Enter or leave the field to apply. Clear a field to remove that bound.
Open More filters for the available comparison details. Depending on this vehicle's evidence, you may see Trim, Drivetrain, Body, Transmission, Colour, Seller, CPO or Engine size. CPO means certified pre-owned. Not every group appears for every appraisal.
Selected filters appear as removable chips. Use a chip's x to remove one choice. Clear filters removes these additional constraints and odometer limits, while keeping the selected area and listing-status mode. If comparables are limited, widen the area or remove a narrow filter. Then review the new evidence.
6:32 · Read the market summary
In The market says, start with the comparable count. Average comparable price gives context for the listed vehicles. Odometer adjustment includes a hint about whether your car has fewer or more kilometres than the comparison average, when that information is available.
Market value for a car like yours is the displayed estimate to review. Adjusted comparable range shows the spread of included asking prices at your odometer. It helps you see variation in the evidence; it does not promise what this vehicle will sell for.
Confidence and its density percentage describe market coverage. Review them alongside Basis and the actual vehicles, especially when evidence is limited. An optional plus-or-minus amount is further estimate context, not a guaranteed bound. An em dash means information is unavailable. Don't read it as zero.
7:27 · Set an asking price
In You ask, Price by initially shows percent of market. One hundred percent matches the displayed market estimate. You can choose Asking price, percent of market, Rank by price, or Rank by value. These are different ways to set the same asking price.
Choose Asking price and enter thirty thousand dollars in Target. Press Enter or leave the field to apply it. Review the other readouts as they update. Escape returns an uncommitted entry to the current value.
Rank by price compares reported asking prices. Rank by value gives a view against adjusted comparable prices. Number one is the lowest price on that basis, and the total includes your vehicle. A rank is a price position, rather than a vehicle-condition score. Read the actual result after entering a target, especially when comparable prices are close.
8:21 · Read selling history and demand
Below the price readouts, Sells in shows historical context or a modelled value when too few sold listings are available. Read the label beside the days. This is separate from the price comparisons in How fast it sells.
Demand shows Hot, Warm or Cold, with a score out of one hundred when available. It is context, rather than a probability that your vehicle will sell. A Sold comparable still shows a reported listing price; it does not confirm a negotiated amount paid by a customer.
If the warning says the basis widened past your trim, review Basis again. The displayed ranks now cover that broader comparison set.
9:04 · Enter costs and target profit
Now review You can pay. The current asking price appears above Reconditioning, Certification, Profit you want and You can pay. These are worksheet allowances for this appraisal. Enter the amounts you actually want to allow.
Profit is held by default. To enter our target profit, first select Hold the asking price in You ask. That keeps the thirty thousand dollar ask fixed and makes Profit you want available for editing.
Enter one thousand dollars for Reconditioning, five hundred for Certification, and three thousand for Profit you want. Apply each entry with Enter or by leaving the field. You can pay now reads twenty five thousand, five hundred dollars. Review the entire group together before deciding whether that offer suits the vehicle.
9:52 · See the effect of a cost change
Keep the asking price held. Change Reconditioning from one thousand to one thousand, five hundred dollars, then apply the entry. Watch You can pay move from twenty five thousand, five hundred to twenty five thousand dollars.
The extra five hundred dollar allowance leaves five hundred less available for the offer in this example. The asking price and desired profit stay where we held and entered them. This is why it's useful to review the result after changing an allowance.
Return Reconditioning to one thousand dollars. You can pay returns to twenty five thousand, five hundred. We'll use those values for our finished worksheet. These entries review a possible offer; they do not submit an offer, buy a vehicle or update an inventory listing price.
10:42 · Choose which figure stays fixed
One hold applies across You ask and You can pay. Choose asking price, profit, or offer. The held figure is read-only. Choosing another hold releases the previous one, and changing a hold by itself leaves the amounts unchanged.
Here's an alternative decision. With asking still held, increase You can pay to twenty six thousand dollars. Profit you want falls to two thousand, five hundred. Return the offer to twenty five thousand, five hundred before the next example.
Choose Hold profit, then increase the offer to twenty six thousand. Profit stays three thousand while the asking price becomes thirty thousand, five hundred. Reset the offer, then choose Hold the offer. Increase Reconditioning to one thousand, five hundred: the offer stays fixed while profit falls. Finally restore Reconditioning and Hold the asking price. Check our original five amounts again.
11:37 · Review warnings and cost context
If a price control won't change, check its hold first. Asking price is held also disables Price by, the draggable asking-price dot and price suggestions. Choose another hold before trying those controls. A held profit or offer likewise needs a different hold before you edit it.
Cost to market is another readout to review alongside your entered offer and allowances. It describes those worksheet costs relative to the market estimate. It is not your profit margin, and it does not include every expense your dealership may incur.
If You can pay becomes negative, the worksheet warns that costs and profit exceed the asking price. Review the entries and your chosen hold. An editable number or warning-free screen is not approval of a purchase decision.
12:27 · Review selling-time estimates
Scroll to How fast it sells. When forecasts are available, the rows compare asking prices at ninety three, one hundred and one hundred and seven percent of market, plus your current price marked now. The current row is blue. Longer bars mean more estimated days.
These rows are readouts. To change your price, use You ask or an available chart control, then wait for the update. Check the new estimates rather than assuming a lower price always produces a faster sale.
Sometimes the forecast does not distinguish between the prices. You will see that message instead of persuasive-looking bars. Other times, price-based forecasts are unavailable, with historical context shown when available. If Some selling-time estimates are unavailable appears, use its Try again. The rest of the appraisal can remain useful. Actual selling time can vary.
13:22 · Explore the Curve view
Now move to Your asking price on the market and choose Curve. The horizontal axis is price. The orange curve shows where comparable prices cluster, and the blue dot is your asking price. The market marker and adjusted comparable range give you points of reference when available.
Shaded zones show position around that comparable range: amber within it, green below and red above. They do not promise a sale or tell you the chance of one.
Release the asking-price hold by choosing Hold profit, then drag the blue dot horizontally. It can snap to market value and comparable prices. Watch the same asking price and offer update in the worksheet. You can also focus the control and use arrow keys. Return the asking price to thirty thousand dollars before continuing.
14:12 · Inspect comparable vehicles in Scatter
Choose Scatter to compare asking price with mileage. Left to right is Odometer; bottom to top is asking price. Orange dots are active listings and grey dots are sold listings. Your blue dot uses your own odometer and asking price.
Hover over a comparable, or tap it, to see the vehicle details. Click or tap to keep the details open. Review Listing price and Odometer, then Adjusted price and listing age when available. You may also see seller, location, colour, CPO and VIN. Use Close details to return to the plot.
With asking editable, drag your blue dot vertically to change the price. If your odometer is missing, the subject dot may be absent; you can still use You ask. Keyboard users can focus a comparable, inspect other cars with arrow keys, and press Enter for details and links.
15:06 · Review ranks and available price suggestions
Choose Rank. The two strips show Rank by price and Rank by value. Each position includes one vehicle, with number one at the left. The blue block marks your vehicle's current position.
When Price into a spot is available, each row shows a target value rank, an asking price and the comparable vehicle beside that suggestion. Choosing a row changes your asking price, so review the linked offer or profit around your selected hold.
If asking is held, these choices are disabled. Select a different hold first. Price rungs are unavailable for this set means no suggestion is available. A separate message tells you when your car is already cheapest. Finish this branch by restoring our thirty thousand dollar ask and holding it again.
15:54 · Read and sort the Competitive set
Scroll to Competitive set. Find your highlighted vehicle row, with You in Seller. Compare Price and Odometer first. Adjusted price provides the displayed comparison at your vehicle's mileage, year and equipment. If it says Unavailable, there is no adjusted estimate for that listing.
Value rank identifies price position on that comparison basis. Listed is listing age in days, and Away is distance in kilometres. Sold marks a sold listing; CPO marks certified pre-owned. An em dash indicates missing information.
Select a column heading to change the order. The Sorted by message confirms the column and direction. Sorting changes the table order, rather than the appraisal's ranks. On a narrow screen, scroll sideways to read the remaining columns. Review the actual vehicles, instead of relying on one headline estimate.
16:50 · Review excluded cars and listing links
Some displayed vehicles have an exclusion reason instead of a rank. Read labels such as Price out of range, Listed too long, or Too far in mileage. These rows remain visible for context. A muted row alone does not tell you whether the vehicle is excluded.
A times indicator can show one vehicle advertised in several places, sometimes with a price difference. Treat it as one vehicle rather than several different cars.
In Links, open an available comparable-listing link when you need to inspect its evidence. It opens in a new tab. Our demonstration uses fictional example links. Link unavailable means a usable link wasn't supplied; don't assume the listing page can be opened from that row. Close the extra tab to return to your appraisal.
17:39 · Keep a copy of the finished appraisal
Before keeping a copy, confirm the vehicle and mileage, Basis, comparison filters, and entered amounts. Our final worksheet has a thirty thousand dollar ask, one thousand for Reconditioning, five hundred for Certification, and three thousand for Profit you want. Asking is held, and You can pay is twenty five thousand, five hundred dollars.
Choose the chart view and table order you want to retain. Wait for updates to finish, then select Print at the top. In the browser's print dialog, choose an available printer or a PDF destination.
Review the resulting Vehicle appraisal document. Check the vehicle, captured date, market summary, asking price, allowances, offer, comparison scope and evidence. The printout keeps the selected chart and table order. It is a snapshot for review; some on-screen readouts, including selling-time bars, are not included.
18:35 · Return through Recent appraisals
To appraise another vehicle, choose Another car. On the entry screen, Recent appraisals offers previous vehicles from this browser. Select our BMW to load its details and comparisons again, then review the returned market evidence.
Recent appraisals is a convenience list, rather than a saved quote. It retains vehicle details and comparison choices, but not your entered asking price, cost allowances, desired profit, offer or hold. A copied appraisal address can retain its asking price, yet it also does not preserve the complete worksheet.
Re-enter the allowances you need when returning. Market evidence can differ when you revisit a vehicle. Another browser or cleared site data can also mean the recent list is absent. Use the print copy when you need a fixed record of the worksheet you reviewed.
19:28 · Resolve unavailable data and controls
If the worksheet says Market data is unavailable, choose Try again. You can still check the vehicle and search controls. If No valuation available appears, widen the search area, remove a restrictive filter, or correct the vehicle, then try again.
For Limited comparables, review a wider area or fewer constraints before relying on the estimate. If an odometer range is invalid, correct its minimum and maximum or clear the limits. If a quick odometer edit disappeared without changing the worksheet, enter it again and apply it with Enter or the checkmark.
If Print is disabled, wait until updates finish and resolve any valuation error. If an amount or price suggestion is read-only, check the active hold. Read the actual message before retrying; a successful-looking entry form is not confirmation that market evidence loaded.
20:23 · Find help and review the outcome
Read guide opens written help in a new tab. Instructions starts a guided tour of the screen you're on. At its opening, you can continue with Next, go Back as steps become available, or close the tour. Closing returns you to the worksheet.
We've reached the reviewed outcome: our fictional BMW, the chosen comparison scope, the entered asking price and allowances, and the matching printed offer. Keep those details together when you discuss the appraisal.
When you repeat the task, start with the right vehicle, review the evidence, then check the effect of your own entries. Use the chapters and written steps whenever you need to revisit a control or recover from a problem.
Confirm the scope and market summary
Section titled “Confirm the scope and market summary”Reach the evidence
Watch 4:45Open Insights → Market Research → Appraise a vehicle and load the vehicle. Read Basis for the actual years, matching description and comparable count. Review wider or limited evidence before relying on the headline estimate.
Check the vehicle, Basis and comparison controls before reviewing prices. Select image to enlarge. More detail: Appraise a vehicle · Refine appraisal comparables
Read The market says
Watch 6:32Review the comparable count, Average comparable price, available mileage context and Odometer adjustment. Market value for a car like yours is the estimate to review alongside the actual cars.
Adjusted comparable range shows the spread of included asking prices at your odometer; it is not a promised sale range. Confidence and its density percentage describe coverage context. The optional ± hint is not a guaranteed bound.
An em dash is unavailable information, not zero. A Sold listing still shows a reported asking price; it does not confirm a negotiated customer sale amount.
Review the estimate alongside its range, confidence and actual comparable vehicles. Select image to enlarge.
Read and use Curve
Section titled “Read and use Curve”Read the price distribution
Watch 13:21In Your asking price on the market, choose Curve. The horizontal axis is price. The orange curve shows where comparable prices cluster; the blue dot shows your asking price.
A market marker and adjusted comparable range appear when available. Amber shading is within the comparable range, green below and red above. The shading describes position, rather than a sale probability or certainty measure.
The blue dot is your asking price. Release the asking-price hold before moving it. Select image to enlarge. Change the same asking price when useful
Watch 13:21When asking is editable, drag the blue dot horizontally. It can snap to market value and comparable prices. Review the asking price and linked offer/profit in the worksheet.
Choose Hold profit or Hold the offer first if asking is held. Restore your intended price after exploring. If no usable prices are available, the populated curve may be absent.
More detail: Set an appraisal asking price · Review an appraisal offer
Inspect vehicles in Scatter
Section titled “Inspect vehicles in Scatter”Read the plot
Watch 14:12Choose Scatter. Left to right is odometer and bottom to top is reported asking price. Orange dots are active listings; grey dots are sold listings. A trend line can appear when available. Your blue point uses your own mileage and asking price.
Pin a comparable to review its visible listing details. Select image to enlarge. Open a comparable’s details
Watch 14:12Hover or tap a comparable point to inspect it; click or tap to keep details open. Review Listing price, Odometer, and Adjusted price or Listed age when supplied.
Seller, location, colour, VIN, Active/Sold, CPO and listing links appear when available. CPO means certified pre-owned. Use Close details or Escape to close the popover.
With asking editable, drag the subject dot vertically to change the asking price. If your odometer is missing, the subject point may be absent; use You ask instead.
Use keyboard access
Watch 14:12Tab to a comparable point, use arrow keys to inspect other cars, and press Enter or Space for details and available links. Tab to an editable asking-price chart control and use arrow keys to change it; Shift with an arrow moves farther, while Home and End move to plot bounds.
Review Rank and suggestions
Section titled “Review Rank and suggestions”Read your two positions
Watch 15:05Choose Rank. The strips show Rank by price and Rank by value, with #1 on the left and your position in blue. The total includes your vehicle. Price position is not a condition score.
Rank shows price position and available asking-price suggestions. Select image to enlarge. Use a suggestion only after reviewing its consequence
Watch 15:05Price into a spot can show a suggested value rank, asking price and comparable vehicle. Select a row to change asking and the linked worksheet around the selected hold. The choices are disabled while asking is held.
Price rungs are unavailable for this set. means no suggestion is available. A distinct message says when your car is already cheapest. Restore the price you intend to keep after testing a suggestion.
Inspect and sort the Competitive set
Section titled “Inspect and sort the Competitive set”Compare the displayed fields
Watch 15:54Scroll to Competitive set. Find your highlighted vehicle row with You in Seller. Compare Price, Odometer and Adjusted price; the adjusted figure is the displayed comparison at your vehicle’s mileage, year and equipment.
Value rank identifies price position on that comparison basis. Listed is age in days and Away is distance in kilometres. Sold and CPO are listing labels. Unavailable means no adjusted estimate is supplied; an em dash means missing information.
Your highlighted row appears among the eligible comparables. Select image to enlarge. Choose a sort order
Watch 15:54Select a column heading and read Sorted by… for the column and direction. The initial order is Adjusted price, low to high. Sorting changes table order, not the appraisal ranks. On a narrow screen, scroll sideways for off-screen columns.
Read exclusion and advertisement context
Watch 16:50An unranked row can say Price out of range, Listed too long, Too far in mileage or Excluded. Such rows remain visible for context. Muted styling alone does not prove exclusion.
A × indicator can identify one car advertised in several places, sometimes with a price spread. Treat it as one vehicle, rather than several independent cars.
Read exclusions, listing counts and available links in context. Select image to enlarge. Open an available listing link
Watch 16:50Use an available link in Links to inspect comparable-listing evidence in a new tab. Link unavailable means no usable link was supplied for that source. The tutorial uses fictional example links. Return to the appraisal to compare what you reviewed.
Read selling-time context separately
Section titled “Read selling-time context separately”Review available forecasts or their limitation
Watch 12:26How fast it sells can compare 93%, 100%, 107% of the market estimate and the current price marked now. The current row is blue and longer bars mean more estimated days. These are readouts; set price elsewhere.
A flat message means the forecast does not distinguish the prices. Unavailable forecasts can show broader historical context when present. For Some selling-time estimates are unavailable., use that section’s Try again. No displayed day count guarantees when your car will sell.
A flat forecast states that these price choices have the same estimated selling time. Select image to enlarge. Keep the evidence you reviewed
Watch 17:39Choose the chart view and table order you want to retain, wait for updates, then choose Print. Review the resulting snapshot. Not every screen readout, including selling-time bars and Demand, is printed.
The finished fictional appraisal keeps the matching $25,500 offer. Select image to enlarge. More detail: Print and return to an appraisal
Expected result
Section titled “Expected result”You have checked the scope, estimate context, actual comparable vehicles and price position, with a chosen chart/table view to retain if needed.
If something isn’t right
Section titled “If something isn’t right”The evidence covers broader trims or years
Read Basis and decide whether the broader set is appropriate. Refine available comparisons or widen carefully when evidence is thin; do not assume every displayed car is the exact configuration.
No blue subject point appears in Scatter
Check whether the subject odometer is provided. You can still use You ask to set a price when the subject point is unavailable.
A plot or price-rung list is empty
Some sets lack usable plotted prices or suggestions. Read the actual message and review the market summary and Competitive set; do not infer that your vehicle is cheapest from a generic unavailable message.
A listing price or link is unavailable
Treat missing data as unavailable, not zero. Open only links actually supplied. Review other evidence rather than assuming the missing item can be recovered from that row.
Related guides
Section titled “Related guides”- Appraise a vehicle
Enter a vehicle, review comparable listings, test an asking price and offer, then keep a print copy of the reviewed appraisal.
- Refine appraisal comparables
Choose the area, listing status and available filters, then review how closely the refreshed evidence matches your vehicle.
- Set an appraisal asking price
Set a price in dollars, a market percentage or a rank, then review the resulting position and linked offer.
- Review an appraisal offer
Enter cost allowances and desired profit, choose which figure stays fixed, and review the amount shown in You can pay.
- Print and return to an appraisal
Keep a fixed copy of a reviewed appraisal, then return to the vehicle with a clear understanding of what Recent appraisals retains.