When you look up how much your vehicle is worth, you almost always end up in the same place: the catalogue value from the AMSS catalogue (AMSS is the Automobile and Motorcycle Association of Serbia), or one of the online calculators that work out that value. You get a single figure and assume that is the answer. Often it is not, and it is worth understanding why.
What the vehicle value catalogue is
The catalogue is a standardised table in which a value is entered for each model, year and engine, with depreciation rates according to the age of the vehicle already built in. Its purpose is to let different parties, the tax authority, an insurance company, a bank, arrive at a comparable and verifiable figure, without each of them having to carry out their own valuation.
It is a value that exists even before anybody looks at your vehicle. That is why the catalogue is quick and the same for everybody.
Why online calculators produce different figures
The calculators you find online work on the same logic, but they differ in which edition of the catalogue they use, how they round depreciation and whether they distinguish equipment levels at all. That is why you get three different amounts for the same vehicle on three different sites.
None of them is necessarily wrong. They all answer the question how much that model is worth, not the question how much this particular vehicle is worth. Those are two different questions.
What the catalogue cannot see
A table cannot know anything about a specific vehicle. Here is what stays outside it:
- Earlier damage. A vehicle that has suffered more serious damage permanently loses part of its value, even after a proper repair. That is diminished market value, and the catalogue does not show it.
- Actual mileage. The catalogue starts from the average for the year. A deviation upwards or downwards changes the value, sometimes drastically.
- Equipment level. The same model designation covers both the basic and the full equipment level, and the difference can be several thousand euros.
- The origin of the vehicle and the number of owners. The market values this, a table does not.
- The condition of the mechanics, corrosion and service history. Two vehicles of the same year can be in completely different condition.
- Current demand. The catalogue is updated periodically, while the market changes continuously.
Vehicles that are not in the catalogue
Rare models, classic cars and vehicles imported in specific versions are often not in the catalogue, or are represented so generically that the figure has little to do with reality. With working machines and plant equipment the catalogue covers certain models, but not every make and sub-type from the world market. In both cases price lists are obtained from importers and suppliers, price lists from manufacturers and from regional or continental dealers, purchase invoices for new machines and customs documentation, and that data is then compared with the condition of the particular unit, the number of operating hours, the way it has been maintained and price movements on the market.
When the catalogue is perfectly sufficient
There is no need to complicate things when it is not necessary. The catalogue value is sufficient:
- for rough orientation before buying or selling,
- when the vehicle is averagely well kept and has no history of damage,
- when the amount in question is small compared with the cost of a valuation,
- when the other party in the procedure accepts the catalogue value without dispute.
When you need a valuation rather than the catalogue
- When the vehicle has been damaged, so that the catalogue value overstates its condition.
- When the vehicle is exceptionally well kept or has low mileage, so that the catalogue understates it.
- When a total loss is being established, because the whole calculation rests on the value before the accident.
- When the report goes to a bank, a leasing company, a tax authority or a court, where a reasoned methodology is required.
- For working machines and plant equipment, and for vehicles that are not in the catalogue.
What a valuation that can be defended looks like
A serious report is not a single figure. It contains identification of the vehicle, a description of its actual condition with photographic documentation, the methodology applied, comparable market data and an explanation of how the amount was arrived at from that data. Only that kind of report carries weight when the other side starts to contest it.
Read more about the difference between catalogue value and market value on the page about the catalogue value of a vehicle, and about the procedure itself on the vehicle valuation page. For a specific vehicle get in touch with us.
Frequently asked questions
Is the catalogue value the same as the market value?
It is not. The catalogue value is a standardised value for a model and year, with depreciation already built in. Market value is the amount that can be achieved on the market for that particular vehicle, taking in everything the catalogue cannot see: condition, equipment, mileage, origin and any earlier damage.
Why do three calculators give me three different amounts?
Because they use different editions of the catalogue, round depreciation differently and often do not distinguish equipment levels. They all answer the question of how much that model is worth, not how much your particular vehicle is worth.
What if my vehicle is not in the catalogue?
That is common with rare models and classic cars. With working machines and plant equipment the catalogue covers certain models, but not every make and sub-type. In that case price lists are obtained from importers, suppliers and manufacturers, along with purchase invoices for new machines and customs documentation, and they are compared with the condition of the particular unit, the number of operating hours, the way it has been maintained and price movements on the market.
Does the catalogue take into account that the vehicle was damaged?
It does not. The catalogue knows nothing about the history of a particular vehicle. More serious earlier damage permanently reduces value even after a proper repair, and that can only be established by inspection and by a separate calculation of diminished market value.
When is the catalogue value enough for me and when do I need a valuation?
The catalogue is enough for rough orientation and when the vehicle is averagely well kept with no history of damage. A valuation is needed when the vehicle has been damaged or is exceptionally well kept, when a total loss is being calculated, and when the report goes to a bank, a leasing company, a tax authority or a court.
