GUIDES / EVIDENCE · 7 MIN READ

Understanding a Japanese auction sheet

Every car sold at a Japanese auction carries a condition sheet written by the auction house’s own inspector. Learn to read one and a used import stops being a gamble — it becomes a documented decision.

UPDATED AUGUST 2026 · EXAMPLE CONTENT FOR PROTOTYPE

What it is — and who writes it

The sheet is filled in by an inspector employed by the auction house, not by the seller and not by the buyer. It records the car’s identity, mileage, equipment, an overall grade, an interior grade, and a body map marking every scratch, dent and repair the inspector found. It’s the closest thing the used-car world has to a neutral referee’s report — though standards do vary between auction houses.

The overall grade

5Nearly new. Rare and priced accordingly.
4.5Excellent — light use, very tidy throughout.
4Good, honest condition for age and mileage. The sweet spot for most family buyers — including most UJC cars.
3.5Visible wear or several marks. Fine if disclosed and priced right.
3Heavy wear or bigger repairs. We rarely shortlist these for families.
R / RAAccident-repair history recorded. Not automatically bad — but it must be explained, and it changes the price.

Interior gets its own letter: A is excellent, B is normal family use, C means visible wear or marks worth asking about.

The body map codes

The little letters and numbers on the car diagram are the inspector’s shorthand. The number is the size: 1 small, 2 medium, 3 large.

A1 – A3

Scratch, small to large

U1 – U3

Dent, small to large

W1 – W3

Repair or paintwork, graded by quality

XX

Replaced panel — always worth discussing

出品票 SAMPLE SHEET読み方の例

評価点

4

← THE GRADE

内装

B

← INTERIOR

車体展開図

A1U1← THE MAP

What UJC does with it

We show you the original sheet in full — never a crop — translate every mark, and cross-check the recorded mileage against export records. Then we add our own view: what’s cosmetic, what needs discussing, and what would make us walk away. The sheet is the auction house’s document; the explanation and the judgement are ours.

Three things always worth asking

01“Can I see the W and XX marks explained?” — repairs and replaced panels deserve photos and a story.
02“Does the mileage line up with the export records?” — the answer should be yes, with evidence.
03“Which auction house graded it?” — standards vary, and a good importer will tell you how that house compares.

See a translated sheet on a real listing.

Every UJC car shows its original sheet with the plain-English version beside it.

Open the example car