Free, no obligation
Find out your Canadian Black Book value, free
It is the number ICBC uses to calculate the PST on your vehicle, and it is not published anywhere you can look it up. Most BC drivers first hear it from their Autoplan broker at registration, when the tax is already being worked out. We hold a Canadian Black Book subscription — send us your vehicle details and we will tell you beforehand.
Get your free Canadian Black Book value emailed to you
We look it up against our Canadian Black Book subscription and send it back to you. No charge, no obligation.
How it works
A person does this, not a calculator. Here is exactly what happens.
You send the vehicle details
VIN, year, make, model, odometer and an honest description of the condition. The VIN and odometer are what make the lookup specific to your vehicle rather than a generic year-make-model average.
We look it up against our subscription
A person runs it through our Canadian Black Book subscription. Nothing here is automated and nothing is estimated by a calculator, because the wholesale figure ICBC uses is not published anywhere public.
You get it back by email
Usually the same day. If the Black Book figure is higher than what you paid, we will also tell you what that gap is worth in PST, so you can decide whether an appraisal is worth it.
Why the number matters
Since 2022, PST on a private vehicle sale in BC is charged on the greater of the price you declared or the Canadian Black Book value. Pay $2,000 for a truck the table says is worth $6,000 and the tax is assessed on $6,000 — you are taxed on $4,000 of value that does not exist.
The gap is widest on the vehicles furthest from average: high mileage, rust, deferred maintenance, an unpopular trim, a project car. Knowing the figure before you register tells you whether you have a problem worth fixing.
Canadian Black Book value: common questions
Is this really free?
Yes. There is no charge and no obligation for the Black Book value lookup. We do it because when the Black Book figure is higher than what you paid, a $75 FIN-320 appraisal usually saves you more than it costs — and when it is not, we would rather tell you that than sell you something you do not need.
What is the Canadian Black Book value?
A wholesale value guide used by dealers and insurers to estimate what a vehicle trades for between dealers at auction. ICBC uses it as the baseline for private-sale transfer tax. It assumes a vehicle in clean or average condition and has never seen your specific car.
Why can I not just look it up myself?
Canadian Black Book does not publish the wholesale figure ICBC uses to the public, so no free online calculator can return it. Normally the first time you hear the number is from your Autoplan broker at registration, when the tax is already being calculated. We hold a subscription, so we can tell you beforehand.
Is the Black Book value the same as the Blue Book value?
No. Kelley Blue Book is an American consumer guide. ICBC references the Canadian Black Book, which is a Canadian wholesale guide. They are different publications with different methods, and a Blue Book figure will not be used at a BC registration.
How long does it take?
Usually the same day. This is a person doing a lookup, not an instant calculator, so it is not immediate — but it is quick, and it is free.
What if the Black Book value is higher than what I paid?
That is the situation a FIN-320 appraisal exists for. ICBC charges PST on the greater of your declared price or the Black Book value, so if the table says your vehicle is worth more than you paid, you are taxed on value that does not exist. A certified appraisal documents the real value and replaces the assumption.
Already know the Black Book value is too high?
A certified FIN-320 appraisal documents what your vehicle is actually worth, for a flat $75, delivered within an hour of acceptance. If it does not save you at least its own cost in PST, we refund you in full.
Start your appraisal