SELLER FIELD GUIDE
Already bought your next car? Work out the cost of keeping the old one
Waiting for a higher price can be reasonable. But when the replacement car is already in the driveway, compare the extra proceeds you hope for with the costs of keeping two cars—and the value you still get from using the old one.
The short answer
- Separate ongoing rego and insurance costs from uncertain changes in vehicle value.
- A higher asking price is not a guaranteed offer, and waiting does not guarantee an uplift.
- Use your own bills and assumptions. Keep your target and your freedom to decline an offer.
Motorly seller education · 12 November 2026
The holding-cost trap is a budgeting question, not a reason to rush
If you no longer need the old car, keeping it may still consume insurance, registration and storage resources. Its market value might also change. That does not mean every seller should sell immediately: continued use, a family backup vehicle or an unsuitable offer can make keeping it worthwhile.
Already bought your next car?
Keeping the old one can still mean rego, insurance and a change in value—even when it stays in the driveway. Weigh those costs against your reasons for keeping it, not pressure to accept a lower offer.
Use your own bills. Include CTP once only. Value loss is your assumption, not Motorly pricing; enter 0 to model no change. Annual charges are apportioned, not a promised refund or immediate saving. Inputs stay on this page and do not change your target, tier or offers.
Enter all four non-negative amounts to see your scenario. No market depreciation rate is assumed.
Excludes finance interest, repairs, selling fees and the benefit of continued use. General information, not financial advice.
A worked example—not a market average
Suppose annual rego and CTP are $960, annual insurance excluding CTP is $1,200, and you assume $150 per month of value loss. The allocated cost is $330 a month: $80 rego + $100 insurance + $150 assumed depreciation. Three months total $990.
If waiting produced a confirmed additional $1,000, the difference on those assumptions would be only $10 before other costs. Neither that uplift nor the depreciation assumption is a prediction. With no value loss assumed, the three-month allocation would instead be $540.
Which costs should you count?
- Registration and CTP: use your state’s actual charges and include CTP once. Unused rego may transfer with the car rather than be refundable to you; check your state’s rules.
- Insurance: check cancellation fees, possible refunds and the cover you still need. An apportioned annual premium is not automatically a cash saving.
- Depreciation: a possible change in market value, not an invoice or a tax-depreciation rule. Test several assumptions; exact trim and condition matter.
- Other costs: finance interest, parking, storage, repairs and selling fees may change the decision. Loan principal repayments are not an additional ownership expense to add on top of depreciation.
Avoid counting money already irreversibly spent as a new saving. Check refunds, transfer arrangements and finance payout details before making a decision.
What Motorly’s real data adds
Our reviewed offer-spread report helps explain why comparing buyers can matter. It does not measure how much sellers earned by waiting, how quickly cars sold, or the holding costs of those sellers. The offer evidence below and the calculator answer different questions.
A practical decision checklist
- Write down a target and the reasons it is appropriate for the exact vehicle.
- Compare current written offers and their conditions, not uncommitted messages or adverts.
- Model one and three months of costs using your bills and more than one depreciation assumption.
- Set a review date. Keep the car if its use or the available terms justify that decision.
Want a starting estimate first? Use the free car valuation calculator. It is separate from applying for offers.
Motorly original research · Updated 11 November 2026
What real dealer offers tell us
325
Vehicles with two or more offers
14.3%
Median highest-to-lowest offer spread
$2,000
Median dollar gap per vehicle
The reviewed sample covers 435 vehicles receiving an offer between 11 November 2025 and 10 November 2026. Spread is (highest − lowest) ÷ lowest, calculated only for multi-offer vehicles. Offers below $500, test and merged records are excluded. These are offers, not settled sales or a representative sample of every Australian car. The two medians are calculated separately; neither is a promised uplift for your car. A single quote is a useful starting point, not the whole market.
Read the data and methodology →Compare offers without giving up control
Motorly is a platform, not the buyer. Set your target and compare licensed-dealer offers, including their written conditions, before deciding whether selling suits you.
Motorly is the platform, not the buyer. Free for sellers; you set your target and can decline offers. A calculator estimate is separate from an offer application.
General information, not financial advice. Check the buyer, vehicle history, payment arrangements and written conditions independently. Market estimates and advertised prices are not guaranteed sale proceeds.