KBB Review 2023: Is KBB Worth it for Car Sellers?

How Much Can You Get for Your Car With KBB?

How much you can get for your car with KBB depends on the model, mileage, and make of the car. For instance, KBB buys The 2022 Acura ILX at $27,300.

Who is KBB Best for?

KBB is designed for users who want to know the current market price of the available vehicles. The website is also meant for those who want to sell their cars by getting an instant offer.

What Types of Vehicles Does KBB Purchase?

KBB purchases new and used vehicles, including Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, and Bentley.

How Fast Can You Sell Your Car With KBB?

KBB offers an Instant Cash Offer, which allows you to sell your car within one day. Since the offer is valid for seven days, you have seven days to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.

KBB Fees: How Much Does it Cost to Use KBB?

Selling a car through the KBB Instant Cash Offer is entirely free. You won’t be charged any fees.

KBB Payment Options

Once your car is inspected, KBB will pay you cash or trade-in value towards your vehicle.

Related: Should I Sell My Car to KBB?

KBB Reviews: is KBB Legit?

Kelly Blue Book (KBB) has received a 1.6-star rating in Trustpilot and 4.5 on bestcompany and 3.7 on Sitejabber. According to most users, KBB is a great option to sell their cars. They also commented that KBB’s possible appraisal value is legit and extremely helpful.

Unfortunately, some users complained that the instant cash offer that the company provides is a complete scam. In fact, many people claimed that this scam hides the ridiculous offers that dealers apparently present. 

Also, customers complained that they often found themselves misguided regarding the pricing value of their car in the market.

What Are the KBB Pros & Cons?

KBB Pros

• Provides an Instant Cash Offer and purchases your car within a day
• Helps to determine your car’s value if you want to sell it privately
• It’s free to use the KBB valuation tool
• No obligations – you can use the KBB valuation tool and sell your car privately

KBB Cons

• You need to bring your car to the KBB Participating Dealer yourself
• The Instant Cash Offer can be lower than you’d get through the private sale

How Good is KBB Support?

KBB offers an Instant Cash Offer, which allows you to sell your car within one day. Since the offer is valid for seven days, you have seven days to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.

KBB Review Verdict: is KBB Worth It?

KBB has operated for many decades and still continues to perform in the current market. For many years, KBB has been a go-to source for potential buyers, individual sellers, and dealers of used cars. 

There are 2 ways you can use the KBB platform to sell your car. For one, you can leverage the KBB Instant Cash Offer, bring your car to the KBB Participating Dealer, and exchange your car for cash within a day.

On the other hand, you can use the KBB price estimation tool to understand the fair price for your used car, considering its condition and current market conditions.

Considering all the key points mentioned above, I’d say using KBB is worth it to sell your car. 

How to Appraise Your Car With KBB?

For selling or trade-in, you need to know the value of your car in the current market conditions. KBB’s official website can certainly help you to calculate a rough estimate of your car’s value. 

So, let’s check out how you can appraise your car with KBB step-by-step:

• Go to kbb.com and select car values, then choose my car value from the dropdown options.
• Enter all necessary details, including the year of purchase, car brand, model number, mileage, and zip code.
• Select the style of your vehicle based on the car’s model that you have previously entered.
• Choose the equipment of your car, if it’s all standard or you have modified some parts like engine and transmission. Also, select the color of your vehicle.
• You also need to enter the condition of the car. You will get to choose from four options: fair, good, very good, and excellent.
• According to the data you have entered, KBB will calculate the possible market value of your car.

KBB Instant Cash Offer: Sell or Trade-in Your Car

The KBB Instant Cash Offer is an excellent way to sell or trade your car in no time. The offer is based on trusted Blue Book Values, and the selling process is hassle-free. 

Let’s review the steps you need to take to get cash for your used car:

Step 1: Submit an Online Application

The very first step to selling your car to KBB is to submit an online form providing details of your car. Simply start by entering your VIN or license plate number on the KBB website and follow the questionnaire by providing details about your car.

The car details you’ll need to provide to KBB include:

• Make and model of your car
• Year of manufacturing
• Mileage
• Its current condition
• Specifications 

Be honest about your car details and provide as much information as you can to get the most reliable Instant Cash Offer.

Step 2: Get an Instant Cash Offer

Within just a few minutes after submitting your online application, the KBB agent will contact you with an instant cash offer. 

This offer is good for 7 days – you can either accept it or decline. No obligations.

Step 3: Redeem the Offer at a KBB Participating Dealer

If you decide to accept the KBB Instant Offer, you’ll need to bring in your car and the offer to one of KBB’s participating dealers. Make sure to check the KBB participating dealer locator to see where the nearest dealership in your area.

The KBB agent will review your car to see if everything checks to the information you’ve provided through the online form.

If they find any inaccuracies, your price offer can change.

Step 4: Get Cash for Your Car or Trade-in for a New Car

Once the KBB agent confirms the condition of your car, you can immediately get cash or a trade-in value towards your new car and go home.

Documents You’ll Need to Sell Your Car to KBB

To finalize the sale, you’ll need to bring the following documents to a KBB Participating Dealer:

• Your Instant Cash Offer certificate
• Your vehicle title. In case you don’t have a title because your car is financed, you should bring your lienholder information. 
• The vehicle registration
• A valid driver’s license or any other government photo ID
• All keys, keyless remotes, and manuals
• Service and repair records

Sites Like KBB

KBB vs. Peddle

Peddle Summary

• Buys used, damaged or junk car nationwide
• Get instant quote on (855) 925 4302
• Free towing within 48 hours after offer
• Receive payment upon car collection

Peddle is an online car selling website operating nationwide. Like KBB, Peddle will buy a car directly from you. Compared to KBB, Peddle will visit your place to pick up or tow your car for free. This process elongates the selling process a little bit because you have to wait for the Peddle representative to take your car and give you cash.

Whereas with KBB, you’re dropping off the car at their participating dealers and getting paid on-site. However, Peddle deals take up to 48 hours to complete, which is still quite fast.

KBB vs. Wheelzy

Wheelzy Summary

• Wheelzy stores are open 7 days a week
• Get offer in minutes – (855) 510-1108
• Free towing of your car from your location
• Instant payment via cash or check

Wheelzy is a car selling platform that allows users to sell or buy cars. Just like KBB, Wheelzy will evaluate your car based on the information you provide and provide you with an offer within minutes. You can either accept it or decline – no obligations.

The main difference between the 2 platforms is the transaction time. Wheelzy transactions usually take place within 48 hours, while you can drop off your car at KBB dealer and get paid within a day.

KBB vs. CarBrain

CarBrain Summary

• Get an online offer within 2 minutes
• Get cash for your car in under 48 hours
• CarBrain buys cars in over 7 conditions
• Up to 7 days to accept CarBrain’s offer

As an automotive resource, KBB can help you sell your car for the best price. But if you’re looking to sell conveniently, you might also want to check out CarBrain. This platform buys damaged cars and will either rebuild them or strip them for parts. 

It provides an instant offer to individuals and pick-up the car within 24-48 hours. It’s free to use and is a quick and convenient option for individuals looking to sell a damaged car. 

KBB vs. Cars.com

Cars.com Summary

• The platform provides a lot of useful resources to help you sell a car
• Excellent place to research the market
• You can either list your car for sale or get an instant cash offer from a dealer
• Smooth and easy to use interface

Both KBB and Cars.com have various common features. For example, they both provide detailed information about a used car and suggest accurate pricing according to the current market conditions. In addition, the two platforms offer an Instant Cash Offer, which means they’ll purchase your car directly – no need to wait for the buyer to show interest in your car. Whether you’re selling your car to KBB or Cars.com, you’ll need to bring your car to their outlet to finalize the deal.

KBB vs. eBay Motors

eBay Motors Summary

• Sell 20+ types of vehicle and car parts
• Low listing fees starting from just $19
• List a car for sale in under 10 minutes
• 2 selling options – fixed price or auction

eBay Motors is a car selling service that allows you to sell your old cars, used cars, parts, and other accessories. While eBay Motors charges a $19 – $79 listings fee + 2.35%, KBB is free to sign up and use. 

eBay Motors’ Payment terms and balance payoff are set up when you list your vehicle, compared to KBB, which requires you to get an offer and accept it before proceeding with sales. Otherwise, both websites are legit platforms that allow you to sell both used and new vehicles.

Other Sites Like KBB

KBB FAQs

What is KBB?

Founded in 1918, Kelly Blue Book, i.e., KBB, gathered its name from the name of the founder Les Kelley. Initially, the company was known as Kelley Kar Company. By 1926, the company got its famous name Kelley Blue Book.

KBB collected information from various sources, including banks, dealers, and businesses and published Kelley Blue Book in 1926. The book instantly became an industry standard for determining the used price of a vehicle. During the 1960s, the company left the car dealership and focused on releasing books to determine a used car price.

Currently, KBB specializes in providing the current market price of the vehicles available in the market. It includes both used ones as well as the brand new models. KBB provides trade-in prices and official prices of brand new cars to dealers. 

What is the Kelley Blue Book price advisor?

The Kelley Blue Book Price Advisor is a range-based pricing tool to help car buyers and sellers talk about prices realistically.

Is the KBB fair purchase price accurate?

For the most part, KBB is one of the most accurate sources when it comes to prices for buying and selling used vehicles.

Is KBB legit?

KBB is one of the most trusted guides for automobile pricing, used by those who are buying or selling cars.

Do dealers use KBB?

Dealers and other users use KBB to determine the value of trade-ins and compare the numbers to set their prices.

What is KBB fair market range?

The Fair Market Range is the range of prices that Kelley Blue Book estimates most people will pay for a specific car based on the make, model and style.