Guide
How to Check the Grade on an Auction Sheet Before You Bid
Short answer: Read past the overall grade: check the interior grade, cross-reference the damage diagram and inspector comments, confirm the mileage looks consistent, and verify the sheet is the genuine original rather than a seller's copy.
If you're bidding through an agent on a car still in Japan, you're usually working with a narrow window — sometimes just hours — between seeing a listing and needing to authorise a bid. Checking the grade on the auction sheet properly in that time means knowing exactly what to look at, in what order, rather than trying to absorb the whole document at once.
Step 1: Locate the Grade Box First
The overall grade sits in a consistent, prominent position on every major auction house's sheet — usually top-left or top-centre. Note the number (6 down to R) before looking at anything else. This is your baseline, not your final answer.
Step 2: Check the Interior Grade Separately
Next to or near the overall grade, look for the interior grade (A–E). A strong overall grade paired with a weak interior grade is a common combination on higher-mileage or ex-fleet vehicles, and it changes the practical value of the car even if the exterior grade looks good on paper.
Step 3: Cross-Check the Grade Against the Diagram
This is the step most buyers skip when time is short, and it's the one that matters most. A grade of 4 or 4.5 can hide meaningfully different cars depending on where the damage codes sit on the diagram — a few scattered minor scuffs reads very differently from one larger repaired panel, even at the same numeric grade. Spend thirty seconds scanning the diagram for anything marked with a "W" (repair) code specifically, since that carries more weight than a simple scratch or dent notation.
Step 4: Skim the Comments for Anything the Grade Doesn't Capture
You don't need a full translation to bid responsibly, but at minimum check whether the comments section is unusually long or contains repeated notes — auction sheet comments are generally brief, so a dense comment block is itself a signal worth investigating further before you commit, even under time pressure.
Step 5: Confirm the Grade Belongs to This Sheet, Not a Similar One
Under time pressure, it's easy to be shown a sheet and simply trust the grade quoted verbally by an agent or seller without confirming it against the actual document, or worse, without confirming the document is genuine at all. If a deal is time-sensitive enough that you can't get a full verification done, at minimum view the sheet image yourself and read the grade directly rather than relying on someone else's summary of it.
When You Have More Time
If the bidding window allows it — even a few hours — running the sheet through a proper verification check is worth doing before you authorise anything. It confirms the sheet is genuine and gives you a translated read of the comments section, catching anything the quick four-step scan above might miss.
The Core Principle
Checking a grade quickly isn't about reading less carefully — it's about reading the right fields in the right order. Grade box, interior grade, diagram, comments, and confirmation the sheet is genuine: in that sequence, even a fast check covers what actually matters before you commit to a bid.
Ready to check a car? Pull the original Japanese auction sheet and your Australian PPSR & NEVDIS check in one report — start a vehicle check.