CAP Clean
CAP Clean is the trade-valuation benchmark for a used vehicle in good, ready-to-retail condition — no paint issues, full service history, the right keys and documents, and mileage in line with the age.
CAP is the UK's dominant used-vehicle pricing data service. CAP Clean is one of four bands they publish (Clean, Average, Below, Poor), describing the trade-buy price a dealer should expect to pay for a vehicle at each condition level. Clean is the top band: the car is forecourt-ready, needs no reconditioning, and could be wholesaled tomorrow without work.
When dealers use CAP Clean
- Setting a target price for vehicles being sourced via trade (wanted cards, auctions, direct-to-consumer PX offers).
- Benchmarking part-exchange allowances against retail-ready stock.
- Reconciling valuations between buyer and seller when both reference the same book.
CAP Clean vs CAP Average
Average sits one band below Clean. The vehicle is still sellable but has identifiable condition points — stone chips, one plate of history gaps, a non-OEM alloy refurb. Most part-exchanges land at Average or Below, not Clean. Dealers quoting Clean money for a PX will usually lose it at appraisal.
How the number is built
CAP analysts aggregate reported trade transactions — auction hammer prices, dealer-to-dealer sales, and direct reports from the trade — then publish bands per derivative, per month, adjusted by mileage. The Clean figure is the typical trade-buy price for a car meeting the Clean condition spec at that mileage.
Related terms
CAP Average
CAP Average is the trade-valuation band for a used vehicle in honest, saleable condition with typical wear for its age — presentable enough to retail after light prep, but below the Clean benchmark.
Trade Price
Trade price is the price a vehicle changes hands at between two dealers — significantly below retail, without VAT on the margin (when sold Margin Scheme) and without retail preparation or warranty built in.
Part-Exchange (PX)
A part-exchange is when a customer trades their existing vehicle in against the purchase of another, with the dealer giving an allowance for the PX that reduces the amount payable on the new car.
Put the terms to work
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