Schwacke list: alternatives for private car sellers

newsabc 4 weeks ago

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In order to achieve a fair market price when selling a used car, it is essential to be able to assess the situation on the used vehicle market. If you only research roughly, for example by comparing the prices of advertisements in online vehicle markets and personally obtaining offers from car dealers, you will hardly get any reasonable proceeds for your old car.

A source of information that has been tried and tested over many years is the so-called Schwacke list, a database with extensive price information on around 30,000 car models. Schwacke has been recording the average residual value of used cars since 1957, taking into account not only the year of manufacture and mileage, but also the engine and equipment.

Thanks to this considerable collection of data – formerly in paper form, now integrated into the SchwackeNet app – the question of the value of one’s own vehicle on the market can be answered quite precisely. However, it is not only advantageous to get a good orientation, the Schwacke list is generally recognized and prevents annoying discussions between buyer and seller about the establishment of the sales price.

But how does Schwacke actually come up with the values? Schwacke GmbH continuously collects information on all vehicle models – such as inventory figures, statistics on new registrations, changes of ownership, the relationship between supply and demand or seasonal and regional price fluctuations.

This information is recorded in a database, analyzed and evaluated by the program behind the Schwacke list. The algorithm compares the determined values with current sales requirements that come from classified ads, vehicle exchanges or car dealers – whereby the exact calculation formula is one of the company’s trade secrets. In this way, Schwacke calculates a realistic sales value for each individual car model.

No Schwacke list for private sellers

So far so good. But the Schwacke list has one major disadvantage: it can no longer be viewed online by private car sellers. Until 2020, the Schwacke website offered private individuals the option of having the resale value of their used car determined by individual query for a fee of EUR 7.90. A telephone inquiry was also possible. Since the SchwackeNet app was activated, the Schwacke offer has been aimed exclusively at commercial customers.

Car dealerships and used car dealers can take out an annual subscription and then have access to extensive information. In addition to the used car evaluation, this includes precise vehicle identification based on the chassis number, paintwork data for painting work, inventory management expertise, a program with which repair cost estimates for customers and insurance companies can be calculated for individual models, as well as many other applications that are only of interest to professional users are.

Alternatives to the Schwacke list

There are several alternatives for private car sellers to determine the selling price of their own used car. This is what automobile clubs like the offer ADAC and the DAT offer a free online car evaluation.

While the ADAC valuation is based on example advertisements, DAT operates its own database, which incidentally also refers to the TÜV’s online vehicle valuation. However, equipment and condition of the vehicle can only be taken into account to a limited extent by either the ADAC or the DAT. Attention: DAT only evaluates vehicles that are not older than ten years.

If you don’t shy away from going to the test center and are willing to accept a fee, you can also have a proper expert opinion prepared by Dekra, TÜV, GTÜ, etc. The advantage here is that both the condition of care and special equipment are included in the evaluation.

Online exchanges such as mobile.de or autoscout24.de also offer used price determination, whereby an email address must be stored on mobile.de for the evaluation. The value of older vehicles can also be determined at mobile.de. autoscout24, on the other hand, allows you to enter the exterior color and extras such as auxiliary heating or cornering lights.

A comparatively precise and free vehicle evaluation on the Internet is available on purchase exchanges such as Carsale24.de, deinautoguide.de or wirkaufendeinauto.de. This alternative is particularly useful if the seller intends to sell his vehicle via the respective portal – after all, the purchase exchanges live from the brokerage of vehicles and often link the price determination to the further sales process. (You can find our practical test of three purchase portals here!)

If you absolutely don’t want to do without the proven Schwacke list, you should ask your dealer or workshop if they could take a look at the SchwackeNet app for a generous tip.

Frequently asked questions about the Schwacke list

What is the Schwacke List?

As early as the 1950s, car dealer and gas station operator Hanns W. Schwacke began to write down the prices achieved for used cars in a list and to derive the respective residual values from them. With an increasing variety of types and more diverse equipment options, the initial collection of sheets developed into a thick catalog – and a growing company. Today, the Schwacke GmbH database includes over 30,000 different models from different car manufacturers and can be found in the SchwackeNet app on the Internet. However, the data is only available to registered dealers and car dealerships.

Who can access the Schwacke List?

Schwacke has not offered individual queries to private individuals for a fee of EUR 7.90 for several years. The products and services offered on the www.schwacke.de website are aimed exclusively at commercial customers as part of an annual subscription. In principle, only car dealerships and used car dealers have access to the Schwacke list for a subscription fee. However, this includes a lot of other information that may be of interest to traders – such as vehicle inventory management, a repair cost calculator or a chassis number database.

newsabc 4 weeks ago

0 3 4 minutes read