Aston Barclay has become the first UK remarketing firm to deploy a new inspection scanner that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure precise and consistent vehicle appraisals.

Aston Barclay is the first UK auction company to collaborate with Proovstation

The AI-led Proovstation Inspection Gantry maps and processes damage data on each vehicle, providing a comprehensive assessment.

While automated inspection gantries are commonplace among OEMs, Aston Barclay is the first UK auction company to collaborate with Proovstation, whose systems already conduct millions of inspections across 12 countries.

The automated inspection scanner uses dedicated tyre scanners to measure the wear of all four tyres, while internal lights illuminate the vehicle, enabling cameras to map the entire exterior. This process identifies chips, dents and scratches as the vehicle drives through the gantry.

The gantry processes the collected data and transmits the findings to the inspector’s handheld device within 90 seconds. The information is then fed into Aston Barclay’s internal damage-appraisal engine, which calculates the cost of damage and assigns a NAMA grading to the vehicle.

The technology significantly improves inspection accuracy, as well as reducing the time it takes to complete an inspection, all of which aids Aston Barclay’s ability to reduce the number of days to sell.

Aston Barclay has installed the system at two of its six sites, Wakefield and Donington, with plans to roll out the technology further in the coming months. The business returned to 100% physical auctions at the beginning of 2023 and has seen an increase in attendance for both car and LCV auctions. All used stock continues to be made available for online buyers; around a third of vehicles are predicted to be sold online, supported by the Proovstation technology.

Nick Thompson, chief customer officer at Aston Barclay, commented: “This pioneering technology enhances inspection accuracy and reduces the time required for inspections, helping us to improve the speed we can process our cars. Not only does this allow us to provide a more efficient service for our customers, but we can also ensure there is consistency for all vehicles across our centres.”