Auction Guidance
Auction grade is the overall assessment of a car given by the Japanese car auction house’s inspectors. There are currently over 115 auction house locations that test and provide the auction grades base on the general condition of the car or vehicle. Though different houses have various methods of determining each grade; the systems are likely similar and giving the almost same result.
The grades are usually showed as numbers or letters for the overall grade based on the visible and mechanical condition. Some auctions use Letter –A, B, C, D or E to describe the exterior and/or interior condition of the car, in addition to the overall grade, where A > B > C > D > E.
Overall grade
| Grade | Description |
| Grade 6 or higher or “S” | Considered as brand new, less than 12 months old, and/or with a mileage under 10,000 km. |
| Grade 5 | As good as new, with exceptionally low mileage. |
| Grade 4.5 | Very slightly used, mileage of up to 100,000 km. |
| Grade 4 | Used condition, pre-loved but well looked after with very light blemishes. |
| Grade 3.5 | You can find noticeable scratches, dents, rust or corrosion (rare). Inside the vehicle often appear tears, cigarette holes, stains. |
| Grade 3 | Visible huge scratches, dents, paint stains, rust and corrosion. Interior full of tears, cigarette holes or food stains. |
| Grade 2 | Poor condition, usually featuring unrepaired accident damage or corrosion, but the car is functional. |
| Grade 1 | Modified or disaster cars like floods. |
| Grade R or 0 | Accident history/repaired. Repaired parts are mostly mentioned in the auction sheet. |
| Grade RA | Minor accident cars that have been fully repaired. |
| Grade RB | Slightly more serious than RA. |
| Grade RC | Pillar or frame has been changed/repaired. |
| Grade R2 | Accident history and mostly rust or corrosion issues. |
| Grade * or *** | Non running car, needed a forklift to be moved, Major accident. |
interior or exterior grade
Used car auction grade for the interior/exterior is as follows:
Interior Grading :
A – New vehicle’s condition.
B – Car is in good condition, the interior looks nice and tidy.
C – Small food’s stains or cigarette’s holes could be found inside the car.
D – Inner vehicle consists of cigarette’s mark, stains, tears or smell.
E – Interior of the car is in bad condition. Grade E means all mentioned above and even worse.
Exterior Grading :
A – A pristine exterior condition.
B – Some small scratches up to 15cm could be found.
C – Scratches up to 30 cm or dents could be seen.
D – Visible scratches, rust or corrosion are detected.
E – The car is in bad shape. Rust, corrosion and exterior breakdowns are plenty.
For advanced-level buyers
If an auction sheet is available, inspection markings (image below) indicated by the inspectors can tell you
more about the vehicles condition.
If the Auction Inspection Sheet is available, look for these marks & understand the vehicles condition
If the Auction Inspection Sheet is available, look for these marks & understand the vehicles condition
| Marking | Description |
| A1 | Small scratch. |
| A2 | Scratch. |
| A3 | Big scratch. |
| B or (B1 to B4) | Larger dents. – These are more serious than pin dents (U). |
| C or (C1 to C4) | Corrosion – C on the body can mean a small stone chip has some surface rust or there is a spot of rust on the edge of a sunroof which might be easily addressed. C indicated on the wheel arches is a sign there is serious corrosion. |
| E1 | Few dimples. |
| E2 | Several dimples. |
| E3 | Many dimples. |
| G | Stone chip on glass – You might see a G, X or even an A marked on the windscreen. This usually indicates a small stone chip or scratch and often these are quite small, the size of a pin head or so, and not easily visible. They are the sort of things most cars pick up through normal use and if you see them noted it doesn’t mean the windscreen needs replacing. |
| H | Faded paint. |
| P or (P1-P4) | Paint damage – Fading, scratches or discoloration from sun damage, polishing, peeling ,crazing or poor paintwork. |
| R | Repaired windshield crack. |
| RX | Repaired windshield crack (must be replaced). |
| S1 | Rust. |
| S2 | Heavy rust. |
| U | Pin dents. – Only a small dent such as you would pick up in the carpark. |
| U1 to U4 | Moderate dents. – Used to denote the size of the dent with 1 being the smallest. |
| W1 | Hardly detectable repair mark/wave (hardly detectable). |
| W2 | Repair mark/wave. |
| W3 | Visible repair mark/wave (needs to be repainted). |
| X | Windshield crack (must be replaced). |
| XX | Replaced. |
| X1 | Small windshield crack (approximately 1cm). |
| XX | Replaced. |
| Y or (Y1-Y4) | Cracks or hole – Usually in body kits or lights and often not a major issue as repair or replacement is fairly simple. |
Overall grade
| Grade | Description |
| Grade 6 or higher or “S” | Considered as brand new, less than 12 months old, and/or with a mileage under 10,000 km. |
| Grade 5 | As good as new, with exceptionally low mileage. |
| Grade 4.5 | Very slightly used, mileage of up to 100,000 km. |
| Grade 4 | Used condition, pre-loved but well looked after with very light blemishes. |
| Grade 3.5 | You can find noticeable scratches, dents, rust or corrosion (rare). Inside the vehicle often appear tears, cigarette holes, stains. |
| Grade 3 | Visible huge scratches, dents, paint stains, rust and corrosion. Interior full of tears, cigarette holes or food stains. |
| Grade 2 | Poor condition, usually featuring unrepaired accident damage or corrosion, but the car is functional. |
| Grade 1 | Modified or disaster cars like floods. |
| Grade R or 0 | Accident history/repaired. Repaired parts are mostly mentioned in the auction sheet. |
| Grade RA | Minor accident cars that have been fully repaired. |
| Grade RB | Slightly more serious than RA. |
| Grade RC | Pillar or frame has been changed/repaired. |
| Grade R2 | Accident history and mostly rust or corrosion issues. |
| Grade * or *** | Non running car, needed a forklift to be moved, Major accident. |
interior or exterior grade
Used car auction grade for the interior/exterior is as follows:
Interior Grading :
A – New vehicle’s condition.
B – Car is in good condition, the interior looks nice and tidy.
C – Small food’s stains or cigarette’s holes could be found inside the car.
D – Inner vehicle consists of cigarette’s mark, stains, tears or smell.
E – Interior of the car is in bad condition. Grade E means all mentioned above and even worse.
Exterior Grading :
A – A pristine exterior condition.
B – Some small scratches up to 15cm could be found.
C – Scratches up to 30 cm or dents could be seen.
D – Visible scratches, rust or corrosion are detected.
E – The car is in bad shape. Rust, corrosion and exterior breakdowns are plenty.
For advanced-level buyers
If an auction sheet is available, inspection markings (image below) indicated by the inspectors can tell you
more about the vehicles condition.
If the Auction Inspection Sheet is available, look for these marks & understand the vehicles condition
If the Auction Inspection Sheet is available, look for these marks & understand the vehicles condition
| Marking | Description |
| A1 | Small scratch. |
| A2 | Scratch. |
| A3 | Big scratch. |
| B or (B1 to B4) | Larger dents. – These are more serious than pin dents (U). |
| C or (C1 to C4) | Corrosion – C on the body can mean a small stone chip has some surface rust or there is a spot of rust on the edge of a sunroof which might be easily addressed. C indicated on the wheel arches is a sign there is serious corrosion. |
| E1 | Few dimples. |
| E2 | Several dimples. |
| E3 | Many dimples. |
| G | Stone chip on glass – You might see a G, X or even an A marked on the windscreen. This usually indicates a small stone chip or scratch and often these are quite small, the size of a pin head or so, and not easily visible. They are the sort of things most cars pick up through normal use and if you see them noted it doesn’t mean the windscreen needs replacing. |
| H | Faded paint. |
| P or (P1-P4) | Paint damage – Fading, scratches or discoloration from sun damage, polishing, peeling ,crazing or poor paintwork. |
| R | Repaired windshield crack. |
| RX | Repaired windshield crack (must be replaced). |
| S1 | Rust. |
| S2 | Heavy rust. |
| U | Pin dents. – Only a small dent such as you would pick up in the carpark. |
| U1 to U4 | Moderate dents. – Used to denote the size of the dent with 1 being the smallest. |
| W1 | Hardly detectable repair mark/wave (hardly detectable). |
| W2 | Repair mark/wave. |
| W3 | Visible repair mark/wave (needs to be repainted). |
| X | Windshield crack (must be replaced). |
| XX | Replaced. |
| X1 | Small windshield crack (approximately 1cm). |
| XX | Replaced. |
| Y or (Y1-Y4) | Cracks or hole – Usually in body kits or lights and often not a major issue as repair or replacement is fairly simple. |
