Japanese auction grades explained, from S to R
Japanese auction grades are the first thing most buyers look at and the thing they most often misread. A grade is one inspector’s summary of a whole car in a single character. It is very useful for filtering a search, and not enough on its own to bid on. Here is what each Japanese auction grade means, and how to use them together with the rest of the sheet.
The overall grade
| Grade | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| S or 6 | New or as new: usually a registration-mileage car. |
| 5 | Near new, very low mileage, no visible flaws. |
| 4.5 | Excellent. Low mileage for its age and only the smallest marks. |
| 4 | Good. Some minor scratches or dents a detailer can deal with. |
| 3.5 | Average. Visible marks, often higher mileage; budget for paint or interior work. |
| 3 | Below average. Obvious wear or damage, or very high mileage. |
| 2 | Poor. Significant problems: heavy rust, major dents, mechanical issues. |
| 1 | Often heavily modified, flood or fire damaged, or otherwise far from stock. |
| R or RA | Repair history: the car has had structural repair. RA usually marks a lighter repair. |
| 0 / *** | Not graded: sold as is, often with a note explaining why. |
Mileage caps the grade. A clean car with very high kilometres rarely gets above a 3.5, however well it was kept, so a 3.5 can be a better buy than its number suggests: read the damage map and notes to see whether it’s wear or mileage holding it down.
Interior (and exterior) letter grades
Next to the number sits a letter for the interior, and on many sheets a second one for the exterior.
| Letter | Condition |
|---|---|
| A | As new. |
| B | Very clean, light use. |
| C | Normal wear: some marks, stains or cigarette smell. |
| D | Dirty or damaged: tears, burns, strong smells. |
| E | Very poor: needs serious work. |
What R and RA really tell you
R (or RA) means the car has a repair history, 修復歴あり: a structural part was repaired or replaced. It doesn’t say how big the repair was. A replaced radiator support on an otherwise lovely car is a very different thing from a straightened chassis rail, and the inspector’s notes and damage map usually say which panels were involved.
R cars sell for less, which can make them good buys for your own use or for a customer who knows. For retail stock, many shops avoid them or disclose them clearly; either way, tell the buyer.
Grades vary by auction house
Each auction house trains its own inspectors and the big ones are known to be stricter or more generous. The same car could be a 4 at one venue and a 4.5 at another. Treat half a grade as noise, and compare cars graded at the same house where you can.
Which grades to bid on
- Retail stock: 4 and up with a B interior is the safe ground. These cars usually need a detail, not a body shop.
- Value buys: 3.5 / C with a clean damage map and short notes. Budget for paint correction and interior work and price the recon in before you bid.
- Projects and parts cars: 3 and below, R/RA, ungraded. Read every note, ask your agent for extra photos, and bid as if the worst line on the sheet is true.
Use the sheet, not just the grade
The grade gets a car onto your shortlist; the sheet decides the bid. Read how to read a Japanese auction sheet for the rest of it. Right Hand DMS reads the whole sheet into English and prices each lot against comparable sold cars across grades, so you can see what a 3.5 really fetches next to a 4.5: see pricing guidance.