{"id":147,"date":"2026-03-09T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tt-blogs.dealerfire.com\/folsomautomall\/?p=147"},"modified":"2026-03-25T09:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T09:04:09","slug":"how-kelley-blue-book-gets-used-car-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.folsomautomall.com\/blog\/how-kelley-blue-book-gets-used-car-values\/","title":{"rendered":"How Kelley Blue Book Gets Used Car Values&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Folsom Auto Mall - Kelly Blue Book and How They Get Those Values\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WhgRDHWvyAs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Ever wonder how Kelley Blue Book gets used car values and why we even trust those values to be the standard of the industry? The Folsom Auto Mall has those answers for you.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Les Kelley, the man behind the pricing guide, was a used car dealer in Los Angeles in 1918. In the 1920\u2019s, Kelley began printing and circulating a list of vehicles he wanted to buy and how much he was willing to pay for them. He would send these lists to other dealers and banks; people began to use these lists as real-time appraisals for an older car\u2019s value. In 1926, he officially published his list in book form.<br><br>Soon, there were lines of cars at his dealership waiting for appraisals and the dealership expanded to become the largest used car dealership in the country. Eventually the Blue Book became a nationwide car value guide for dealerships. In the 1960s, the Kelleys shifted their focus to the Blue Book and sold off their dealerships. During this time, the Kelleys began to use mileage to help determine the car\u2019s value and they added new car pricing to their list of publications.<br><br>In the 1980s and 90s, they began to use computers to track vehicle pricing and created an online presence for Kelley Blue Book. This is also when the first Consumer Edition of the Blue Book was published. <a href=\"http:\/\/kbb.com\">KBB.com <\/a>was launched in 1995 and included values, reviews, vehicle history reports and links to manufacturer websites. According to kbb.com, within two years of its launch, it became the most visited automotive site on the Internet.<br><br>Vehicle values according to KBB (and other sources) are determined by aggregating the pricing from wholesale auctions, dealerships, rental fleets, auto manufacturers and private party transactions. Real world prices are evaluated every day and, using an algorithm, along with historical trends, the current economy, time of year and geographic areas, values are determined. Those values vary based on a number of factors including mileage, equipment and condition &#8211; and values change often. For example, when gas prices are high, the value of vehicles with good fuel efficiency will fetch higher prices. Fleet vehicles and rental cars might get lower prices because the market has so many of them. Vehicles with a history of mechanical problems or recalls would also be valued for less.<br><br>Prices also vary depending on the transaction. Private sale, dealer sale and trade value are all different values for the same vehicle. Dealership prices take into account the dealer\u2019s overhead and cost to repair and refurbish a vehicle, whereas a private sale doesn\u2019t include those extra expenses. The trade-in value is usually lower, too, because a dealer is looking to make a profit when they re-sell the vehicle. While these values are a good and fair starting point, at the end of the day &#8211; a vehicle is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Maybe it\u2019s their dream vehicle; maybe it has sentimental value. If a vehicle is rare, its value will increase. The theory of supply and demand is still alive and well.<br><br>In addition to Kelley Blue Book (and kbb.com), several other resources are worth consulting to determine a vehicle\u2019s value. <a href=\"http:\/\/nadaguides.com\">NADA Guides<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/edmunds.com\">Edmunds.com<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/jdpower.com\">JD Power<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/consumerreports.org\">Consumer Reports<\/a> are also trusted sources for this kind of research.<br><br>You can also visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/folsomautomall.com\">Folsom Auto Mall<\/a> for a fast, free, fair appraisal from our experts at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.folsomautomall.com\/locations\/index.htm\">eight dealership locations<\/a>. The Folsom Auto Mall is always looking for vehicles and will pay top dollar!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wonder how Kelley Blue Book gets used car values and why we even trust those values to be the standard of the industry? The Folsom Auto Mall has those answers for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,10,12,2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tt-blogs.dealerfire.com\/folsomautomall\/how-kelley-blue-book-gets-used-car-values\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Kelley Blue Book Gets Used Car Values... - Folsom Auto Mall\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ever wonder how Kelley Blue Book gets used car values and why we even trust those values to be the standard of the industry? 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