Worth what a buyer pays this month
What a buyer will pay this month. Not the price on the original invoice, and not the boldest asking price on Marketplace either.
Take two Honda Ranchers from the same year. One has done half the hours and its 4WD engages first time. The other has sat in a wet shed with a flat battery since last winter, and nobody can find the invoice. They can end up a long way apart, even though an advert would describe them in exactly the same words.
So the honest answer to how much is my quad bike worth comes in two steps. Work through what moves a quad's price, then test what you've concluded against real sales of the same model. This guide covers both. If you'd rather skip straight to a firm figure, here's how we buy used quads whether they run or not.
The seven things that set a quad's price
These are the questions a serious buyer asks, roughly in the order they matter.
Make and model
The big Japanese names hold their value best, because parts are easy to get hold of and any quad mechanic you ring will know them. Honda's TRX 420 FourTrax Rancher and TRX 500 Foreman have a steady following. So do the Yamaha Grizzly and Kodiak. Kawasaki's Brute Force and KLF Bayou sell steadily, and so does the Suzuki KingQuad. Polaris Sportsman and Can-Am Outlander models do well too, especially with the bigger engines. CFMOTO is common now and sells, though buyers look harder at its age and condition.
Age and hours (or miles)
On a working quad, hours usually matter more than the year. Many show hours or miles on the display. Some older ones show neither. If yours has a reading, photograph it with the key on and write it down somewhere. A ten-year-old quad that has mostly sat in a barn can fetch more than a three-year-old one that's done the feed round twice a day, every day, since it came out of the crate.
2WD or 4WD, and whether it works
Most farm buyers want 4WD, and they want it to engage properly. Same goes for the diff lock and low range if it has them. A 4WD stuck in 2WD knocks money off because the buyer is pricing in a repair they can't see the bottom of. Tell them upfront. Far better that than it being found on a test drive.
Condition, from tyres to rust
Buyers look for things that cost money to put right. Scuffs and faded plastics on a farm quad are expected, and nobody knocks much off for them. Oil leaks are different. So is a smoking exhaust, or a belt that slips on an automatic. Rust that has eaten into the frame is worse still. Good tread on all four tyres and straight racks help a little. Worn wheel bearings take it away again.
Proof of ownership: logbook or dealer invoice
Proof that it's yours is part of the price. A road-registered machine should come with its V5C, and our guide to which quads are road legal in the UK explains when a quad needs one at all. Plenty of working quads have only ever been used off-road and never had a logbook. Those are proved by the original invoice or a dealer receipt. With no paperwork at all, many buyers simply walk away. Others knock a lot off. Before we pay for any quad we check your photo ID against the logbook or invoice, then match the frame number to it.
Receipts from servicing
Dealer stamps are best. Your own receipts for oil and filters count too, and so do the ones for a new belt or tyres. Even a pencilled note in the shed counts.
Winch and other extras
A working winch or tow hitch can add to the price. So can a quad sprayer or a trailer, if they're in usable condition. They rarely add back what they cost new. Selling them with it? List every one.
Working quads sell on different things from sports and kids' quads
Different people buy them, so different things drive the price.
Farm quads
Bought to work. The buyer wants 4WD and sensible hours. Racks that will carry a feed bag help, as does a tow hitch that has pulled a trailer without bending. Above all, it has to start on a cold morning. Looks barely matter. See how we buy a farm or utility quad.
Raptors and other sports quads
The Yamaha Raptor and YFZ450R are bought for fun and racing. Buyers listen to the engine and look for crash damage. They'll sight down the frame to check it's straight, and ask what's been modified. A standard machine that's been looked after is often easier to sell than a heavily modified one. Here's how we price and collect a sports quad like a Raptor.
Kids' quads
Parents buy these. They tend to sell in spring and summer. Youth quads from the big makers go more easily than cheap unbranded ones because parts are simpler to find. Buyers also ask about safety kit: a kill switch that works, and a throttle limiter. See how we buy a kids' quad.
Why online price guides are often wrong
Every quad bike value checker online gives you one figure. Treat it with care. Most can't see what matters most on a quad. How many hours has it done? Does the 4WD work? Is there any paperwork? They also struggle with machines that were never registered, which is most farm quads.
Adverts mislead in a different way. An asking price is a hope. The machines that sell quickly vanish from the listings while the overpriced ones sit there for weeks, so scrolling through current adverts makes prices look higher than they really are. If you do compare, compare like with like. The same model with similar hours is a fair comparison. A 2WD against a 4WD isn't.
Private sale vs trade price: the honest gap
A private buyer will usually pay more than a trade buyer. That's true of us too. We have to collect the quad and check it over. Sometimes it needs fixing before we can sell it on. The price reflects that work and the risk.
Selling privately gets you the higher price if the right buyer turns up. It costs you time. Photos, the advert, the messages, the viewings, the test ride where a stranger takes your quad round the paddock, and then making sure the payment is real before it leaves the yard. Some people enjoy it. Plenty don't have the time. That's truer still with a non-runner, or a quad that's been sat for a year.
There's no fixed percentage for the gap. Anyone who quotes one is guessing. It depends on the model and on how quickly you want it gone. We've set out the pros and cons of each way to sell a quad, including where selling to a buyer like us costs you money.
How to turn research into a firm number
Start with your own research. Write down the model and year first, with the hours if you have them, then look for sold prices on machines that match yours as closely as you can find.
After that, get at least one firm offer so you know where the floor is. Filling in our quad offer form takes a couple of minutes. Turning the figure down costs nothing.
Five photos that sharpen a quad valuation
- Both sides of the whole machine, in daylight.
- The display with the key on, so we can read the hours.
- The tyres, close enough that the tread shows.
- The frame number next to its V5C or invoice.
- Anything broken or missing. It saves a wasted trip and a changed offer later.
What to tell a buyer upfront
Say whether it starts and whether the 4WD and diff lock work. Mention what's been replaced recently, and anything you know is wrong. Is there finance outstanding? Say so. If the machine matches the description, the offer shouldn't change on the day.
Pricing a different machine? We've written value guides for electric dirt bikes and for John Deere Gators.