Trade in or sell privately

Will you come out ahead selling your car yourself? Enter the dealer's trade-in offer, what you could get privately and what it costs you to sell. The tool adds the sales tax you save by trading in, and shows which route leaves more money in your pocket.

Your numbers

These are example numbers. Replace them with yours.

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$

Look at similar cars for sale near you, and be realistic.

$

Ads, a safety inspection, detailing, paperwork.

$

Sales tax depends on where you register the car.

Start from what cars like yours are really listed for

Pick your car and we show what the same model and year is listed for, and where the dealer's offer sits against it.

What the numbers say

Selling privately leaves about $330 more

After the sales tax you save by trading in.

Side by side

Trade-in offer
$14,000
Sales tax you save on the new car
$1,820
Trading in leaves you with
$15,820
Private sale price
$16,500
Less your selling costs
-$350
Selling privately leaves you with
$16,150
A private sale only wins above
$16,170

In most provinces a trade-in comes off the price before sales tax, which is why it is worth more than its sticker number. A private sale gives you no such credit.

Selling privately takes time, means meeting strangers and carries scam risk. A gap of a few hundred dollars is rarely worth it. Pay off any loan on the car before you hand it over.

Keep going with Uobo

Uobo is your personal car agent. Text it what you need and it does the research and the checks, asks dealerships about availability, condition and price for you, and helps you decide. This is the text you would send:

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Text Uobo

On a computer? Text (289) 819-4586 from your phone and paste what you copied. Standard message rates apply. Reply STOP any time to stop.

How it works

In most provinces a trade-in comes off the price of the new car before sales tax is worked out, so it saves you that tax. The tool uses your province's rules to find the saving and adds it to the trade-in offer.

A private sale gives you the sale price less what you spend to sell: ads, a safety inspection, detailing. The tool shows both totals and the private price you would need to match the trade-in.

Your privacy comes first. What you enter stays on your device unless you choose to text it to Uobo.

Example: a $14,000 offer against a $16,500 private sale in Ontario

Selling privately costs $350 to arrange. Trading in on a $38,000 car also saves $1,820 in sales tax, so trading in leaves you $15,820 and selling privately leaves $16,150. That is a $330 difference, and a private sale only comes out ahead above $16,170.

What this does not cover

  • It does not count your time, the risk of meeting strangers, or the chance a private sale takes weeks. A gap of a few hundred dollars is rarely worth it.
  • Tax rules differ by province, and the tool uses the dealer-purchase rules. Confirm the saving on your contract.
  • If you still owe money on the car, pay it off before you hand over a car you sell privately. A dealer does this for you. The negative equity calculator shows what it costs if the car is worth less than you owe.

Common questions

Is it better to trade in or sell privately?

Selling privately usually gets a higher price, but a trade-in is faster and saves sales tax on the new car in most provinces. The tool compares the two with your numbers.

Do I save tax by trading in a car?

In most provinces, yes. The trade-in value comes off the price before sales tax, so at 13 percent tax a $14,000 trade-in saves $1,820. Rules differ by province, which is why you choose yours.

What does it cost to sell a car privately?

Usually ads, a safety inspection or certificate where your province requires one, detailing and some paperwork. Enter your own total in the tool.

How can I sell my car privately and stay safe?

Meet in a public place in daylight, do not let anyone drive alone with your keys, take a bank draft or a transfer made at the bank rather than cash, and do not hand over the car or paperwork before the money is in your account.

Where the numbers come from

Last checked against these official pages on 2026-10-07. Rates and rules change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.

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