How PriceTalon works

We're built to do the math the car sites won't — and we believe in showing our work. Here's what goes into our scores and where our data comes from. We keep the exact formulas to ourselves, but we'll never hide what we actually look at.

🦅 PriceTalon Score — is this good value?

This measures how much useful life you're getting for your money — not just whether a car is cheap. A bargain price on a car that's near the end of its life isn't actually a good deal, and our score reflects that. It weighs:

• The asking price
• The car's mileage and age
• The typical lifespan and reliability of that specific make and model

The result is a 0–99 score: higher means more remaining, reliable life per dollar spent.

📊 Market Score — is the price fair?

This compares the asking price to what similar cars actually list for — the median price of the same make, model, year, and condition across the live listings in our database. Above 50 means it's priced below the typical market (a better price); below 50 means above. We only show it when we have enough comparable listings to make the comparison meaningful.

💰 5-Year Cost to Own

The sticker price is the smallest part of what a car really costs. Our estimate adds up four things, and we clearly label which are real data and which are estimates:

• Depreciation — real data. We track how each model's median price actually falls per year of age across thousands of listings, so the projected resale value is grounded in the real market, not a generic rule of thumb.
• Fuel / energy — real data. The EPA's official combined MPG for that exact year/make/model, multiplied by typical annual miles and the current fuel price in your region. Electric vehicles use their kWh-per-100-miles rating and local electricity rates.
• Insurance — estimate. Scaled to the vehicle's value and type.
• Maintenance & repairs — estimate. Based on the model's reliability and the car's age.

Where our data comes from

• EPA (fueleconomy.gov) — official fuel-economy ratings.
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — current regional gasoline, diesel, and electricity prices.
• NHTSA — VIN decoding (vPIC) and open safety-recall records.
• Our own market database — live and historical listing prices we use to build depreciation curves and market comparisons.
• Public dealer and marketplace listings — the inventory we analyze and score.

Straight talk — what we don't do

• We don't have accident or title history. Always run the VIN and inspect the car before buying.
• Our numbers are estimates to guide you — not guarantees, appraisals, or a substitute for an inspection.
• We're not paid by dealers to rank their cars higher. Every car runs through the exact same math.

Want to try it on a specific car? Check a car →