Gasgoo Munich- The China Automobile Dealers Association convened a seminar in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, on September 15, 2026. The seminar discussed revising the national standard for used vehicle appraisal. The goal is to unify industry benchmarks and bring them closer to market realities. A draft is slated for completion by the end of the year. A full industry rollout is expected next year.
Image source: Huaban
The current standard, in place since 2013, is now over a decade old. As NEV penetration surges, new scenarios like used car exports and judicial disposals are emerging. The existing framework shows glaring shortcomings in identifying accident vehicles and appraising NEVs. The revision will tackle five core areas. These include overhauling the logic and classification for accident vehicles. It also introduces specific standards for flooded and fire-damaged cars. Appraisal criteria for NEV battery, motor, and electronic control systems will be added. The entire evaluation management process will be streamlined. Finally, the standard's scope will expand to cover more scenarios.
Technically, the criteria for collision-damaged cars will scrap rigid quantitative metrics like "defining accidents by centimeters." Instead, assessors will take a holistic approach. They will weigh the severity of damage, the nature of compromised parts, repair quality, and post-repair safety test results. For flooded vehicles, the focus shifts to identifying core characteristics. These include continuous horizontal water lines and vertical layered corrosion from prolonged immersion. They will be classified into low-risk and high-risk tiers. NEV appraisals will follow a "general items plus powertrain-specific items" structure. Battery health metrics will prioritize existing national standards. Safety status and health state will be reported separately.
On personnel and institutional management, the draft mandates appraisers must be full-time employees. Their social security must be paid by the firm they represent. It also establishes a traceable mechanism for continuing education. This aims to curb malpractices like "renting out credentials" from a systemic level.
During the discussion phase, representatives from various sectors weighed in. These included automakers, internet platforms, used car markets, appraisal agencies, and the judiciary. Topics included odometer verification, water damage detection, and accident grading. NEV testing, report digitization, and terminology standardization were also discussed. They offered recommendations tailored to specific scenarios. One such scenario is the compulsory disposal of vehicles by courts.
The China Automobile Dealers Association noted this marks the second offline consultation session. More are planned nationwide. Once published, the association will update supporting technical interpretations. It will also organize industry-wide compliance training. It plans to form a cross-sector expert committee to resolve disputes. The committee will release regular guidance on typical controversial cases.
