Manheim has rolled out a vehicle grading system for physical and online auctions in line with recent National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) guidelines. To support the roll-out, Manheim has invested in new hand-held appraisal technology and imaging systems. 

Manheim, which sits on the NAMA advisory panel, has introduced the new Code for Vehicle Grading across all 17 of its UK physical auction sites as well as its various online and distance selling platforms.

The code categorises vehicles as condition 1 to 5, depending on the severity of any damage, or U if it is uneconomical to appraise the vehicle due to extreme damage. Vehicles are checked from a standard viewing angle of a two metre distance and at an angle of 90 degrees (plus or minus 45 degrees), which provides buyers and sellers with a standardised comparison regardless of who is assessing the vehicle.  

Head of NAMA, Louise Wallis, comments: “The change to a standardised grading system across the industry has been driven by the increase in online bidding and the number of people looking to buy cars remotely. If buyers are looking at a batch of cars, they will be able to sort them by grade and know there are consistent condition grades across the auction halls and online.”

Chris Cush, operations director at Manheim, adds: “The new grading system will bring commonality across all auction houses and give customers more confidence to buy from a distance. We continually invest in the services we offer to both buyers and sellers, and we believe that standardising vehicle grading across the industry will bring significant benefits to all of our customers. Buyers will see greater transparency and consistency, making it easier to make purchasing decisions, while sellers will get better clarity on repair costs, increased revenue opportunities and will benefit from a more informed buyer base.”

Manheim launched the new auto grading system earlier this month and it expects all vehicles to been appraised using the system from 1st February 2013.

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