Car Auction Terms
A comprehensive glossary of US car auction terms to help you understand auction documentation and vehicle conditions
ALL OVER
Vehicle damaged in multiple areas (more than 2 locations)
BIOHAZARDOUS / CHEMICAL
Damage from chemicals
BURN ENGINE
Engine compartment damaged by fire
BURN INTERIOR
Vehicle interior damaged by fire
BURN
Completely burned vehicle
FRONT END
Front damage / frontal impact
HAIL
Hail damage
MECHANICAL
Engine, electrical, transmission, axle defects
NO VISIBLE DAMAGE
No visible damage, may be a fully intact or a broken-down vehicle
REJECT REPAIR
Vehicle restored after an accident, but the owner refused the vehicle for unknown reasons
ROLLOVER
Vehicle rolled over
REAR END
Rear damage / rear impact
SIDE
Side of the vehicle is damaged
STRIPPED
Robbed, parts removed, doused with chemicals
TOP / ROOF
Roof deformation / damage
UNKNOWN
Unknown damage, may be an intact vehicle
UNDERCARRIAGE
Underside damage, possible suspension damage
VANDALISM
Vehicle damaged by vandalism
WATER / FLOOD
Vehicle affected by water / flooded
ACTUAL
Actual mileage
NOT ACTUAL
Unknown mileage
EXCEEDS MECHANICAL LIMITS
Mileage reached the maximum number the odometer can display and rolled back to zero
EXEMPT
Older vehicles are exempt from mileage disclosure
CLEAR / CLEAN TITLE
Clean documents / suitable for restoration and registration
SALVAGE TITLE
Damaged vehicle documents / suitable for restoration and registration
JUNK TITLE
Cannot be restored and registered
NO TITLE / PARTS ONLY
No documents or the vehicle is for parts only / cannot be restored and registered
NOT REPAIRABLE
Cannot be restored and registered
SCRAP CERTIFICATE OF TITLE
Cannot be restored and registered
BILL OF SALE
Cannot be restored and registered
CERTIFICATE OF DESTRUCTION
Cannot be restored and registered
WAIT CERTIFICATE
Waiting for the appropriate document to be issued
ACV
Actual Cash Value - market price of an intact vehicle
Color
Vehicle color
Damage Type
Type of defect
Description
Description with manufacturing year
Expected Sale Date
Expected sale date
Facility
Lot where the vehicle is being sold
Loss Type
Type of damage/loss
Mileage
Mileage in miles
Repair Cost
Repair cost (in the USA / Canada)
TBD
Sale date to be announced
Theft
Vehicle stolen
Title State
State where the vehicle is registered
Title Type
Vehicle title type
VIN
Vehicle Identification Number
How to use the glossary?
This glossary will help you understand US car auction documentation and vehicle conditions. Terms are divided into categories:
- Damage Types - describes various types of vehicle damage
- Vehicle Mileage - information about mileage data
- Vehicle Documents - document types and their meanings
- Other - additional information about auction terms
Use the search field to quickly find a specific term or filter by category.