Guide
Grade 6 and R Grade: Checking the Extremes of the Auction Scale
Short answer: Grade 6 (and S) is the top of the scale — a near-new, essentially undamaged car — while R (or RA) marks the other extreme: a car with recorded accident repair. Both are signals to read the sheet closely rather than assume.
Most conversations about Japanese auction grades centre on 4 and 4.5, because that's where the bulk of the market sits. The two ends of the scale — grade 6 and R grade — get far less attention, but each deserves its own careful check for very different reasons.
Grade 6: Rarer Than It Sounds
A 6 is reserved for a genuinely unused or as-new vehicle — typically very low mileage, no meaningful wear, and effectively showroom condition despite being technically "used" on paper. It's the rarest grade in practical terms, since it demands the vehicle show almost nothing an inspector would mark down.
Checking a 6-graded sheet carefully matters precisely because it's rare enough to be worth extra scrutiny — an unusually high grade on an unusually cheap car is a combination worth verifying rather than simply celebrating. Confirm the sheet is genuinely matched to the chassis number and that the mileage figure is consistent with the grade; a 6 grade paired with a mileage figure that looks too good is exactly the kind of mismatch a verification check is built to catch.
R Grade: Not a Number, a Warning
Unlike the numeric scale, R grade specifically flags prior accident repair — meaning the vehicle has undergone repair work beyond minor cosmetic touch-up, generally involving structural or frame-related work. It sits outside the ordinary 1–6 progression because it isn't measuring general wear at all; it's flagging a specific history.
R grade sometimes gets further split into RA and RB by some auction houses, roughly distinguishing lighter accident repair from more significant structural work — worth checking for specifically, since "R" alone doesn't tell you which end of that range you're looking at.
Why R-Graded Cars Still Get Bought
R grade isn't automatically disqualifying — it depends entirely on what the repair actually involved, how well it was executed, and the price reflecting that history. Some buyers deliberately seek out well-repaired R-grade cars for the price discount, accepting the trade-off with full knowledge of what they're buying. The mistake isn't buying an R-graded car; it's buying one without reading the comments section closely enough to understand what "R" is covering in that specific case.
What to Check at Either Extreme
For a 6: verify the sheet matches the chassis number and mileage, since an unusually strong grade is worth extra confirmation rather than less.
For an R: read the inspector's comments in full — this is where the actual nature and extent of the repair is described, since the R designation alone is a category, not a description. If possible, get a translated, verified copy rather than relying on a seller's characterisation of "just cosmetic" repair work.
The Broader Point
The middle of the grading scale rewards a quick glance. The extremes reward a closer read — a 6 because it's worth confirming is real, and an R because the letter alone doesn't tell you enough to make a decision.
Ready to check a car? Pull the original Japanese auction sheet and your Australian PPSR & NEVDIS check in one report — verify an auction sheet.