A Resale Value Estimator answers one of the most practical questions a vehicle owner or buyer has: “How much is my car/bike worth today?” This tool helps sellers set realistic listing prices, helps buyers judge whether an asking price is fair, and helps content teams create region- and model-specific pages that attract high-intent search traffic (e.g., “Harrier resale value 2023 Mumbai”).

This implementation balances ease-of-use with a reasonably realistic depreciation model. Users enter a vehicle’s original/ex-showroom price, purchase year, kilometres driven, and condition. The estimator then applies a tiered depreciation model and adjustments for mileage, condition, and local market demand to arrive at an estimated resale value, a percent depreciation, a suggested listing range (±5%), and a projected value one year forward. The tool also provides a compact breakdown of the main factors used in the calculation.

How the calculation works (the engine)

The estimator uses a multiplicative depreciation model that mimics how vehicles typically lose value:

1. Segment-based base rates. Vehicles depreciate differently depending on type. Two-wheelers typically have lower absolute prices and different usage patterns compared with SUVs and EVs. The tool uses predefined base rates for the first year (a sharper drop) and for subsequent years (a steady annual drop). EVs and SUVs tend to have slightly higher initial depreciation in this model to reflect market realities like battery concerns or high early discounts.
2. First-year vs subsequent-year depreciation. The first year often sees the biggest percentage drop (20–28% in our defaults). After the first big drop the vehicle loses value more slowly (10–15% per year depending on segment). The tool applies the first-year rate once and the subsequent rate multiplicatively for each additional year.
3. Mileage penalty. High total kilometres relative to expected kilometres for the vehicle’s age reduces value. The code uses different expected annual km baselines for bikes (~6,000 km/year) and cars (~12,000 km/year) and applies a proportional penalty if the vehicle exceeds that expected mileage, capped to a reasonable floor (e.g., down to 80–85% of value in extreme cases).
4. Condition multiplier. User-selected condition (Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor) multiplies the computed value (e.g., Excellent = +5%, Fair = -8%, Poor = -20%).
5. City / market factor. Demand varies across markets—Tier-1 cities often sustain slightly higher resale prices. The tool applies a final city multiplier (e.g., 1.00 for Tier-1, 0.98 for Tier-2, 0.95 for Tier-3).
6. Manual adjustment. There’s a manual “Variant Age Adjustment” (%) field for editors to model special trims, rare colors, or sudden market swings (e.g., a spike in used EV demand). This adds flexibility for a content team to reflect reality or to tune estimates for specific models.