Focus of the meeting
The Vehicle Remarketing Association will spotlight used vehicle grading, driven by an ageing vehicle parc and the growth of remote purchasing. In partnership with the Car Remarketing Association of Europe (CARA), the session will examine how grading is evolving and what buyers and sellers need from condition assessments as more transactions move online.
Why it matters
- Older vehicles increase the variety of conditions and histories reaching the market, raising the need for precise, standardized evaluations.
- More remote transactions require consistent, trustworthy reports that buyers can rely on without a physical viewing.
- Advances in inspection technology and changing expectations are reshaping what a comprehensive assessment should include.
Agenda highlights and speakers
- Future of grading: Gavin Shone (Openlane) on where grading is heading.
- International perspective: Connor O’Boyle (TradeBid) on the U.S. vehicle grading experience.
- Panel on scale and consistency: Stuart Coppard (Manheim) and Stuart Pearson (BCA) on producing grading at scale, quality control, and process/technology changes across auction and digital platforms.
- Market updates: Jon Taylor and Abi McCabe (Autorola UK) on new/used car trends; Emily Morgan (cap hpi) on vans and light commercial vehicles.
Key themes
- Technology to speed inspections, reduce subjectivity, and align seller descriptions with buyer outcomes.
- Standardization of grading criteria, digital workflows, and enhanced imagery/data capture to support remote purchasing.
- Cross-market alignment and knowledge sharing via VRA–CARA collaboration, with potential benefits for multinational operators and cross-border remarketing.
- Operational practicality: training, quality assurance, and integrating innovations into existing remarketing processes.
Implications for stakeholders
- Sellers/remarketers: invest in clear, consistent, and richer condition data to build trust and reduce post-sale friction.
- Buyers: rely on standardized grading for risk assessment, price-setting, and faster decision-making online.
- Auction/inspection operators: scale consistent outputs; embed new tools without sacrificing throughput.
- Marketplaces/data providers: evolve reporting to answer common remote-buyer questions and surface condition transparently.
Logistics
- Date: Thursday, March 26.
- Location: Cox Automotive, Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire.
- Hosted by the VRA in partnership with CARA; part of a deeper collaboration announced last year.
The event links day-to-day grading practices with wider market pressures, aiming to widen access to more accurate evaluations as both vehicle age and buying behaviors change.
