ACV Auctions runs dealer-to-dealer wholesale through an app, built on inspections its own staff perform at the selling dealership. The condition reports — with paint meter readings, undercarriage photos and engine audio — are the product, and they are genuinely better than the industry baseline.
- Dealer-only: private buyers cannot register, so you interact with ACV's ecosystem indirectly when your local used-car dealer sources stock there.
- Arbitration is centered on whether the condition report was accurate — a cleaner standard than “as-is, good luck.”
- 20-minute auction format means sellers relist fast; prices track the wholesale market tightly.
As a company: established, publicly traded, growing. As a signal: if your dealer buys off ACV reports, ask them to show you the report for the car you are considering. Good dealers will.