Understanding dealer net prices: calculating without surprises

Net, gross and what lies between

The gross list price includes VAT of the country of origin, and in Austria the NoVA registration levy on top. The net list price results from removing both components. Only that figure is comparable across borders, because 19 percent German and 20 percent Austrian VAT shift the same vehicle price by several hundred euros. A frequent mistake in price tables is comparing one country gross price with another country net price. Worldtrader24 therefore consistently quotes net and shows country-specific levies as a separate line.

The order of the calculation steps

The calculation always follows the same chain: gross list price, division by the VAT factor, net list price, base discount, model campaign, loyalty bonus, then surcharges for transport and registration. The order matters. Discounts act multiplicatively on the remaining base, not additively: 10 percent plus another 5 percent equals 14.5 percent, not 15 percent. For vehicles with Austrian NoVA, the levy is additionally excluded from the discount base; otherwise part of the discount would be granted on a tax.

Where the terms come from

Purchasing terms are agreed per brand, model range and period, and they change regularly. To keep displayed prices traceable, the platform records the applied rule set per vehicle together with import date and source. When a term changes, pricing is recalculated for the affected vehicles instead of correcting single prices by hand. Price-alert subscribers receive the change as an inbox message with a vehicle image and both the old and the new price.

Why net prices are visible only after approval

Dealer net prices are business-to-business terms, not retail prices. They are therefore reserved for logged-in, verified business customers. Verification covers a commercial register extract, VAT ID confirmation and proof of commercial vehicle activity. Vehicle data, equipment, consumption and emission values and availability remain publicly visible — only the price column is protected. For the same reason, purchase price, source dealer and import source are locked fields even inside the dealer area.

Worked example

A vehicle has a German gross list price of 59,500 euros. The net list price is 59,500 divided by 1.19, i.e. 50,000 euros. A 12 percent base discount applies to that base (44,000 euros) plus a 2 percent loyalty bonus (43,120 euros). Adding 690 euros of transport, the net purchase price is 43,810 euros. Applying the 14 percent to the gross price instead would give 51,170 euros gross — a difference of more than 7,000 euros and the classic source of miscalculations.

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