🇯🇵👨⚖ Japan Car Auction Grading
The purpose of the Auction Grade is to give anyone a quick idea of the general condition of a vehicle. The grade is the overall assessment of a vehicle given to it by a Japanese car auction house's own assessors.
There is a range of different quality levels within each grade. So a car that is classified as a grade 4 may be almost a grade 4.5 in quality terms, or it may be only just above a grade 3.5.
There are usually three grades on a Japanese auction sheet:
- The overall grade, a comprehensive assessment of the vehicle's general condition considering exterior condition, interior condition, mechanical condition, mileage, age, and accident history (can be a number like 4, 3.5, or a letter like R, A, RA for repair history),
- The interior grade, based on the interior condition (usually a letter - A, B, C, D, or E), and
- The exterior grade, based on the exterior condition (usually a letter - A, B, C, D, or E).
Although different auctions may have slightly different methods of determining each grade, in general they are similar.
Where to Find the Auction Grades on the Sheet
1. Overall Grade (総合評価 / 評価点)
Location: The overall grade is prominently displayed in the top right section of the auction sheet. Look for a box labeled "評価点" (Hyōka-ten - Evaluation Score) or "総合評価" (Sōgō Hyōka - Overall Evaluation). Sometimes all three grades (overall, interior, and exterior) may appear together in a horizontal row within a single box in the upper right quadrant.
Meaning: This is the primary overall assessment of the vehicle's general condition, reflecting its quality and state. It is a comprehensive evaluation that takes into account the exterior condition (scratches, dents, rust, paint quality), interior condition (upholstery, dashboard, stains, wear), mechanical condition (engine, transmission, other mechanical components), mileage, age, and accident history with quality of repairs. This is a crucial indicator for buyers as it provides a quick summary of the vehicle's condition.
Format: Can be displayed as:
- Numbers (e.g., 4, 4.5, 3.5, 3, 2, 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, S) - indicating the general condition quality
- Letters R, A, or RA - indicating repair history (vehicles that have had an inside panel repaired in some way, ranging from extremely minor to major)
- Special grades (???, ***, -) - indicating ungraded or problematic vehicles
Note: The grade "R" stands for repair history. Vehicles with grades R, A, or RA have had some form of panel repair work done.
Overall Grade Scale
| Grade | Vehicle Quality Condition |
|---|---|
| 7, 8, 9 or S | A new car that is being sold in an auction, with only delivery mileage. |
| 6 | Similar to the news cars above but with a little more than delivery mileage. |
| 5 | Exceptionally low mileage and in mint condition. |
| 4.5 | Excellent condition, but can also have mileage of up to 100000KMs. |
| 4 | A good, solid car. Mileage is not an issue and can be low or high. |
| 3.5 | Similar to a Grade 4 but may need more paint and panel work. Alternatively, it may have high mileage. |
| 3 | Often has either serious paint and panel, or it has had a panel replacement somewhere. Grade 3 cars can also be basically grade 3.5s in terms of condition, but with very high mileage. |
| 2 | Reserved for vehicles in the worst condition. This does not mean that they are write offs, simply that they have experienced deterioration such that they are now in a very poor state. A grade 2 vehicle will often have corrosion, perhaps corrosion holes and other serious issues. If you are looking for "classic" and other older cars or older trucks and buses, you will find a number of them are grade 2. |
| 1 | Can be one of the following: 1) Aftermarket turbo/engine (some sort of serious modification to the original vehicle); 2) Transmission changed from auto to manual. |
| A, R, RA | Are repair history cars. The auctions definition of "repair history" is a car that has had an inside panel repaired in some way. This can range from extremely minor to major. |
| ??? | Ungraded write off cars which may not move at all. Auctions provide no information about these cars on the auction sheets. If the cars are drivable, then there should be no additional transportation costs. However, if the motor does not start or if the car cannot move under its own power for some other reason there may be problems in getting it from the auction to the port, and then from the yard onto the ship. If the engine does not start and is not steerable, transportation and port costs can skyrocket. |
| *** | Vehicles with major engine trouble or significant accident damage, and it is unlikely to move under its own power. These vehicles have not been repaired and may have serious mechanical or body faults. They are sold as-is by the auction with little to no information about their condition, making them a risky purchase that could result in additional costs if they cannot be driven or moved. |
2. Interior Grade (内装評価)
Location: The interior grade is typically located directly below or adjacent to the overall grade in the top right section of the sheet. Look for a box labeled "内装" (Naisou - Interior) or "内装評価" (Naisou Hyōka - Interior Evaluation). On some auction sheets, it may appear alongside the overall and exterior grades in a horizontal row within a single box.
Meaning: This grade specifically assesses the condition of the car's interior, including seats, dashboard, floor carpets, headliner, door panels, and overall cleanliness. It evaluates wear, stains, tears, and the general state of interior components.
Format: Typically displayed as a letter (A, B, C, D, or E):
| Grade | Interior Condition |
|---|---|
| A | Excellent condition, appearing almost as new with no visible flaws |
| B | Good condition, clean and well-maintained with minimal signs of wear; may require light cleaning |
| C | Average condition with moderate wear; may include minor stains, small cigarette burns, or require cleaning |
| D | Poor condition with noticeable issues such as significant stains, tears, cigarette burns, or odors; requires repair and heavy cleaning |
| E | Very poor condition, requiring extensive repair or cleaning |
3. Exterior Grade (外装評価)
Location: The exterior grade is typically located directly below or adjacent to the overall grade and interior grade in the top right section of the sheet. Look for a box labeled "外装" (Gaisou - Exterior) or "外装評価" (Gaisou Hyōka - Exterior Evaluation). On some auction sheets, it may appear alongside the overall and interior grades in a horizontal row within a single box (labeled "総合評価", "外装評価", "内装評価"). Sometimes it may also appear in the same box as the interior grade (labeled "外装内装" - Exterior/Interior) where the first character represents the exterior and the second represents the interior.
Meaning: This grade specifically assesses the condition of the car's exterior, including body panels, paintwork, glass, bumpers, and any visible damage. It evaluates scratches, dents, paint imperfections, rust, and overall body condition.
Format: Typically displayed as a letter (A, B, C, D, or E):
| Grade | Exterior Condition |
|---|---|
| A | Pristine condition with no visible imperfections |
| B | Good condition with minor imperfections such as small scratches or dents that are not immediately noticeable |
| C | Moderate wear with noticeable scratches, dents, or minor rust spots |
| D | Significant imperfections with prominent scratches, dents, visible rust, or corrosion that are easily visible |
| E | Poor condition with extensive damage including large dents, deep scratches, significant rust, or corrosion |
Example Image Showing Grade Locations
The image below shows parts of several auction sheets with all three grades (overall, interior, and exterior) clearly marked in the top right section:
In this example image:
- Overall Grade is highlighted in blue - located in the "評価点" (Evaluation Score) or "総合評価" (Overall Evaluation) box
- Interior Grade is highlighted in red - located in the "内装" (Interior) or "内装評価" (Interior Evaluation) box
- Exterior Grade is highlighted in green - located in the "外装" (Exterior) or "外装評価" (Exterior Evaluation) box
Note: The layout can vary between auction houses. Some sheets display all three grades horizontally in one box, while others may display them in separate boxes arranged vertically or in a grid pattern. The example image shows how they typically appear together in the upper right quadrant of the sheet.
Car Map
The Car Map (also called a body diagram or vehicle diagram) is a schematic diagram of the vehicle that appears on Japanese auction sheets, typically in the bottom right section. The diagram is oriented as a top-down view (bird's eye view), looking down at the vehicle from above. The front of the vehicle is typically at the top of the diagram, with the rear at the bottom. This diagram provides a visual reference showing the exact location of any damage, defects, or repairs on the vehicle's body panels, windows, mirrors, wheels, and other components. By marking damage codes directly on the corresponding parts of the diagram, inspectors provide buyers with a clear, at-a-glance understanding of where issues are located on the vehicle.
On the map, the letter denotes a type of damage and the number after the letter denotes the severity of the damage.
| 1 | light | A | Scratch |
| 2 | moderate | B | Dent with scratch |
| 3 | significant | C | Corrosion (rust has progressed so that now the original metal is now flaking away) |
| 4 | major | E | Dimple |
| G | Stone chip on glass | ||
| H | Paint faded | ||
| P | Paint marked | ||
| S | Rust (orange discolouration on the surface) | ||
| U | Dent | ||
| W | Wave, or repaired area | ||
| X | Item that needs replacing | ||
| XX | Replaced panel / item | ||
| Y | Crack |
How to Read the Car Map
To decode the car map, look for damage codes marked on various body panels and components. The diagram shows a top-down view of the vehicle with each section clearly labeled. Match the letter codes (A, B, U, etc.) with the legend above to identify the type of damage, and use the number (1-4) to determine the severity level.