At its 8 October meeting, GANVAM Jurídico examined why completed transactions offer a stronger basis for used-car valuations than online asking prices. For electric cars, battery condition can make a decisive difference.
At the 8 October GANVAM Jurídico meeting, judges and industry representatives examined how evidence shapes a vehicle’s valuation.
GANVAM and the Spanish Association of Vehicle Dismantling and Recycling, AEDRA, organised the event. Attendees discussed vehicle sales and repairs, along with warranties and competition. The agenda also covered legal certainty for small and medium-sized businesses.
Online listings show what sellers ask, not necessarily what buyers pay. Luis Murias, managing director of automotive data company DAT, said GANVAM’s valuation draws on completed transactions. It identifies each vehicle by make and model, then records its version and original equipment.
The difference affects resale valuations and finance calculations. It also matters when setting compensation for a total-loss claim. GANVAM works with DAT to combine transaction data from dealers and finance companies with advertised prices on online platforms.
For a court, weak evidence can complicate the valuation.
Cristina Villa, a magistrate at Madrid’s Court of First Instance, said technical appraisals and objective references help judges justify their decisions. When reports lack technical rigour, she said, official tables can offer a more reliable basis.
Older cars still need an individual inspection. Vehicles aged 10 to 15 years can vary substantially in condition despite sharing a make and model. Market-based tables offer a baseline; a perito assesses the specific car and its maintenance.
That assessment carries particular weight for electric vehicles. Age and mileage alone do not establish a car’s value. Battery condition is a key factor, and extensive rapid charging can affect battery longevity. At the meeting, artificial intelligence was presented as a way to process large data sets and spot market anomalies. A perito still needs to assess each individual vehicle.
The European Economic and Social Committee has also called for battery information to remain accessible throughout a product’s life cycle. Its recommendations for the EPREL database include operational data such as battery-cycle records and repairability information. The committee calls for free access without registration for as long as the product remains usable. It also says technicians handling maintenance or dismantling, including end-of-life processing, need comprehensive technical and safety specifications. These proposals concern product information and lifecycle data, not a Spanish court valuation formula.
The debate has a practical connection to Spain’s business EV incentives, covered in earlier coverage. As more electric vehicles enter fleets, buyers and finance providers need reliable ways to assess their condition and resale value.
GANVAM president Jaime Barea said the association’s figures use vehicle identification by chassis number and a statistical method. Supreme Court magistrate Manuel Marchena closed the 8 October event.
