Buying Options

We host over 120 daily and evening auctions in-lane and all online every month, with tens of thousands of high quality cars, vans, trucks and more all available to buy with the raise of a hand or the click of a button.

Before vehicles are made available at any Manheim car auction, they have already been examined by one of our qualified vehicle inspectors, and graded according to its condition. We use recognised NAMA (National Association of Motor Auctions) Grading Definitions. Find out more about grading here >

To begin, our inspector will stand two metres away from the vehicle and take a series of digital photographs at an angle of 90 degrees, plus or minus 45 degrees.

Points are awarded only when damage is visible from this angle and a vehicle’s final grade is determined by the total number of points awarded during our inspection.

Digital photographs are taken whenever any areas of significant damage are spotted and these images can be viewed online, along with our Inspector’s appraisal.

Our inspectors look at every inch of a vehicle’s exterior and when the inspection is completed, each vehicle is awarded one of six NAMA Grades, depending on the type of damage noted. All six NAMA Grades, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and U, are  explained below.

Grade 1 The vehicle may have minor interior and exterior defects that require SMART repairs. Often, this includes minor scratches or dents and minor parts may need to be replaced. These will be recorded on the appraisal.

Grade 2 The vehicle may require Grade 1 repairs, plus up to 1 major or minor body shop repair to an individual panel or  bumper. The replacement of more significant internal or external trim parts (excluding panels) may also be required. These will be recorded on the appraisal.

Grade 3 The vehicle may require Grade 1 and 2 repairs, plus up to 5 minor body shop repairs, 3 major body shop repairs or a combination of major and minor repairs. The vehicle may require a      replacement bumper but not two. These will be recorded on the appraisal.

Grade 4 The vehicle may require Grade 1, 2 and 3 repairs. It may also need combination of repairs, including a replacement panel. However, this will exclude structural panels such as roofs and quarter panels. These will be recorded on the appraisal.

Grade 5 The vehicle may require Grade 1, 2, 3 and 4 repairs. It may have a combination of repairs, plus the vehicle may have sustained collision damage and the replacement of up to two structural panels may be required providing there is no other damage on the vehicle. These will be recorded on the appraisal.

Grade U Vehicles in this grade are simply uneconomical to appraise and fall into one of the following categories:

• Substantial Accident damage
• Major Parts Missing
• Multiple recorded items exceeding the criteria of Grade 5
• Multiple unrecorded items

Manheim’s NAMA gradings, our inspector’s appraisal and all supporting digital photographs are available to see online for each car prior to the auction. To learn more about grading click here >

Using our award-winning Simulcast system, trade buyers and sellers can now have live auctions broadcast over the internet to their mobile phone, tablet or PC. This innovative technology lets buyers and sellers see and hear all the action on their screens, as if they were standing right there in the hall.

Users of Simulcast can even watch several auctions at once and communicate with the auctioneer in real-time using instant messaging. They can also make bids online with a single click or screen stroke, and compete for stock with buyers who are physically present at the auction.

Best of all, this can be done from almost any location in the UK, as Simulcast broadcasts live auctions to mobiles, tablets and PCs on forecourts, service bays, sales offices, even 30,000 ft up in the air to a plane. Yes, really!

Already registered? Enter Simulcast here >