- The cars
- Book values
- BMW 320i Auto
- Ford EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente
- Hyundai i20 1.2 Motion
- Toyota Corolla Quest 1.6 Manual
- VW Polo 1.0 TSI Trendline
A car’s book value, otherwise known as its trade-in value, is a real figure that is backed up by real data, and it is published by TransUnion in its Auto Dealer’s Guide.
The Guide is exclusively available to automotive dealers to determine the trade-in values of vehicles, and the average person on the street is not allowed to buy it.
However, we got a hold of the latest October 2022 edition to find out what some of South Africa’s favourite cars will reasonably be traded in for.
The cars
As you don’t often trade in new vehicles, the models chosen were among the most-listed cars on AutoTrader in 2021, as these are being traded on the pre-owned market rather frequently.
The selection comprises the following passenger cars:
- BMW 320i Auto
- Ford EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente
- Hyundai i20 1.2 Motion
- Toyota Corolla Quest 1.6 Manual
- VW Polo 1.0TSI Trendline
Light commercial vehicles, such as bakkies and mini-buses, were not included in this edition of the Guide.
To decide what is reasonable to pay for any one of these vehicles when an individual trades it in, a dealer will use the Guide to find the model’s book value, which is what a car of that type in an average condition and with average mileage will, on average, be traded in for.
For each individual sale, the value is then adjusted according to the particular example’s mileage, condition, optional extras, and more.
It’s worth noting that a book value is not what you will pay when buying the car from said dealer, as this is what’s called the retail value.
The retail price takes into account what the dealer paid to buy the vehicle, the expenses it accrued to get the vehicle “showroom ready”, as well as a profit margin to ensure it can continue operations.
Book values
According to the Guide, the book values of the five vehicles on review are as follows:
BMW 320i Auto
| Year | Book value | Retail value |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | R152,300 | R176,500 |
| 2014 | R463,400 | R195,300 |
| 2015 | R192,200 / R207,300 (facelift) | R222,600 / R234,000 (facelift) |
| 2016 | R229,000 | R266,400 |
| 2017 | R264,900 | R300,400 |
| 2018 | R310,300 | R353,600 |
| 2019 | R349,100 / R478,700 (new generation) | R398,700 / R524,400 (new generation) |
| 2020 | R557,200 | R617,200 |
| 2021 | R608,400 | R663,500 |
Ford EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente
| Year | Book value | Retail value |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | R110,300 | R122,900 |
| 2014 | R116,100 | R130,900 |
| 2015 | R124,600 | R140,000 |
| 2016 | R136,200 | R151,400 |
| 2017 | R146,400 | R163,100 |
| 2018 | R162,600 / R176,100 (facelift) | R182,300 / R194,500 (facelift) |
| 2019 | R190,500 | R210,300 |
| 2020 | R235,400 | R256,700 |
| 2021 | R254,300 | R276,900 |
Hyundai i20 1.2 Motion
| Year | Book value | Retail value |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | R81,100 | R95,700 |
| 2014 | R93,200 | R108,700 |
| 2015 | R106,300 / R112,100 (facelift) | R121,300 / R123,700 (facelift) |
| 2016 | R128,100 | R142,300 |
| 2017 | R137,400 | R152,500 |
| 2018 | R152,800 | R171,000 |
| 2019 | R171,400 | R191,000 |
| 2020 | R205,700 | R228,000 |
| 2021 | R224,700 | R247,000 |
Toyota Corolla Quest 1.6 Manual
| Year | Book value | Retail value |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | R111,100 | R126,200 |
| 2015 | R118,700 | R136,500 |
| 2016 | R129,000 | R151,600 |
| 2017 | R138,200 | R160,100 |
| 2018 | R145,400 | R167,400 |
| 2019 | R165,200 | R186,100 |
| 2020 | R188,600 | R207,300 |
VW Polo 1.0 TSI Trendline
| Year | Book value | Retail value |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | R167,900 | R187,700 |
| 2019 | R188,200 | R210,100 |
| 2020 | R223,100 | R245,700 |
| 2021 | R246,300 | R268,200 |
Keyword: The real trade-in value of these South African favourites