How Much Under Asking Price to Offer on a Used Car in Canada (2026)
Quick answer
Open about 10% under asking on a used car in Canada. That's not a guess, it's the median size of the price cut when a private seller on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace lowers their own asking price, and it holds on both platforms. Most cuts land between $500 and around $1,500 to $1,900, and once a seller cuts at all, it's a cut and not a raise nearly every time. Start there, then check the listing's own price history before you decide to go lower.
You found the car. The seller's asking price sits a bit above what you'd pay, and you're staring at the message box trying to land on a number that won't get you ignored but also won't leave money on the table.
This page answers it with real, current asking-price behaviour from Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace, not negotiation psychology: how much under asking is normal, what private sellers actually do to their own price once they decide to move it, and how CarSnag shows you a specific listing's price history before you even open your mouth. It's one of several buying guides we keep current for exactly this moment.
How much below asking price should I offer on a used car?
About 10% under asking is a defensible opening number on a private listing in Canada right now.
We watch every private car listing posted on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace and track every price change on it. In the past three months, at least 19% of Kijiji's private relistings changed their asking price at least once, and at least 10% of Facebook Marketplace's did the same. When the price moves, it is a cut and not a raise almost every time: about 92% of single-move Kijiji listings went down, and about 97% of single-move Facebook Marketplace ones did too.
| Kijiji | Facebook Marketplace | |
|---|---|---|
| Changed price at least once (private, past 3 months) | at least 19% | at least 10% |
| When it changes, a cut and not a raise | about 92% | about 97% |
| Median cut, in dollars | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Middle half of cuts, dollars | $500 to $1,500 | $500 to $1,900 |
| Median cut, as a percent of asking price | about 10% | about 10% |
| Middle half of cuts, percent | 6% to 17% | 6% to 17% |
Say you're eyeing a $22,000 SUV on Facebook Marketplace. If that seller ever cuts their own price the way a typical private seller does, they take about 10% off, landing around $19,800. Opening your offer near there isn't a lowball, it's close to where a lot of these cars end up on their own, with no negotiating at all.
The verdict: open about 10% under a private seller's asking price. It isn't a hunch, it's what sellers on both platforms already do to their own listings once they decide the number needs to move.
How much can you negotiate on a used car from a private seller?
More than the generic "offer 5% less and see what happens" advice floating around, and the real number depends heavily on whether you're buying from a private seller or off a dealer lot.
ConsumerReports surveyed 1,006 American buyers and found 70% of them haggled over price, succeeding 83% of the time, with a median saving of $900 USD, about 8% off asking. That's a real number, but it's a US survey blending dealer and private sales together, so it can't tell you what a Canadian private seller on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace is doing with their price right now, and it can't check one specific listing for you. CarSnag can: every Pro lead carries the listing's own price history, so you can see whether this exact seller already moved their number before you send the first message.
A Calgary dealer, Auto House, tells buyers to open 8-12% below asking, but only for a car that has sat on their own lot 45 days or more, and only because it's dealer stock they control the price on. That rule says nothing about a private listing posted last week, which is most of what's actually on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace.
The verdict: on a private sale, 10% under asking is a stronger opening number than either the US survey's median or a Calgary dealer's lot-aging rule, because it comes from what private sellers on the platforms you're actually shopping are doing with their own prices.
What's a good deal on a used car?
A good deal is a price below what comparable cars, the same year, make, model and trim, are actually selling for in your region, not just a price below the sticker on this one listing.
A 10% cut off a car that was overpriced by 20% to start with is still a bad deal. That's the blind spot in any flat percentage rule, including the one above: it tells you what to offer, not whether the asking price was ever reasonable to begin with. CarSnag prices every match against comparable listings in your own region first, by year, make, model and trim, not just make and model, so a base trim never gets priced like a Limited. Every match gets a 0-5 star Deal Score with the gap to market shown right on the listing.
Two Honda CR-Vs a province apart can be listed within a few hundred dollars of each other and still sit 15% apart once you account for trim and mileage. A flat "offer 10% less" rule can't see that difference. A Deal Score built from your own region and the right trim can.
The verdict: use the 10% figure to open the conversation, then let a real, regional, trim-level valuation tell you whether the seller's starting number was ever fair in the first place.
How to negotiate a used car price in a private sale
Lead with a specific number, stay polite, and use the listing's own history instead of generic leverage.
Once you've settled on your number, how you deliver it matters almost as much as the number itself:
- Message with a specific number, not a range and not "best offer?" A seller reads a real number as someone who's ready to buy today.
- Say it plainly: "I can do $X today if that works for you." Skip the excuses and the story about your budget, sellers tune both out.
- If the listing has already been reposted or reduced, say so. A seller who cut once is telling you they'll move again for the right buyer.
- Point at the market, not the seller's judgment. "Similar ones near me are going for about $X" lands better than "this is overpriced," and it's the fastest way to lose a private deal.
- Check the listing's price history before you message. If you're watching an AutoTrader listing specifically, our AutoTrader price tracker guide walks through how to see it. If Facebook Marketplace is where you're shopping, an alerts app that watches new listings the second they post means you're rarely the fifth person to message a good one.
The verdict: a specific number, delivered politely, backed by real comparable prices instead of an opinion about the seller's price, closes more private deals than any percentage rule on its own.
Should you always offer under asking on a used car?
No, not always. A price a seller already checked against the market and never moved is a different situation than one that's been sitting and quietly slipping, and the way to tell the difference isn't a guess, it's the listing's own history: whether it changed, when, and by how much.
CarSnag watches Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji and AutoTrader at once, gives every match a 0-5 star Deal Score priced against comparable listings in your own region by year, make, model and trim, and on Pro shows the full price history and every past drop on a lead, so you walk into the conversation already knowing what the seller did with their own number. Your first month of Pro is free, no commitment.
The verdict: 10% under asking is the right opening line on a listing that has never moved. Check the listing's own price history first, and let it tell you when to open higher, and when to open lower.
About the data: the listing figures in this post come from CarSnag's own index of Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji and AutoTrader car listings across Canada, which we scan around the clock. Figures are rounded.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a polite way to ask for a lower price?
- Name a specific number instead of asking for a seller's 'best offer,' and point at comparable listings instead of the seller's judgment. CarSnag prices every match against comparable listings in your own region by year, make, model and trim, so the number you name comes from a real regional comp instead of a guess.
- What's the best time to negotiate a car price?
- Attach your number the moment you first message a private seller, rather than waiting to build rapport first. CarSnag shows the full price history on every Pro lead, so you already know whether this seller has cut their price before you send that first message.
- How much can you negotiate on a used car from a private seller?
- About 10% under asking is a realistic opening number on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, the median size of the cut private sellers make to their own price once they decide to move it. CarSnag watches both of those platforms plus AutoTrader at once and scores every match 0-5 stars against comparable listings in your region, so you know where a specific car stands before you name a number.
- Is 10% below asking too low for a used car?
- No. It is roughly what private sellers on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace already take off their own price when they cut it, so it reads as informed rather than insulting. CarSnag's Deal Score does that regional, trim-level comparison for you on every match, so you always have a real number backing the offer.
Get the listing before it gets crowded.
Built by wholesalers with two decades in the trade. CarSnag watches Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji and AutoTrader together, prices every listing by year, make, model and trim against your own region, and pushes the ones under market with a 0-5 star Deal Score. It runs on our servers, so there is nothing to keep open. First month free.
