“What’s your typical vehicle valuation report timescale?” is one of the most common questions I’m asked. The question may come well before instruction as part of discovery and assembly of a panel of experts, but it is usually asked by solicitors who need to plan a hearing timetable, or executors managing an estate with a deadline in mind. The honest answer is: it depends – but not in a vague, unhelpful way. In addition to my own workload, which is often several weeks of work already in progress, here are specific factors that determine the timeline, and understanding them helps set realistic expectations from the outset.
The Inspection Comes First
Before any report can be written, the vehicle needs to be inspected in person, unless the instruction is for a desktop valuation based on photographs and documentation, which suits certain situations such as a vehicle located overseas or where access is restricted.
A physical inspection involves considerably more than a walk around the car. Condition is recorded in detail, identification numbers are checked, available paperwork and service history is reviewed, and photographs are taken. For a single vehicle this typically takes around an hour on site. For a larger schedule – perhaps ten or more vehicles – several hours or a full day may be more realistic.
What Happens After Inspection
The inspection is actually the faster part. The work that follows is where the time goes.
For each vehicle, comparable market evidence needs to be researched and analysed. For modern cars this might involve cross-referencing current retail listings and recent auction results. For classic, prestige or specialist vehicles, where trade guides either do not list the car or are not fit for purpose, it means going directly to the market: specialist dealers, classic car auction results, enthusiast platforms, and in some cases direct enquiry. That research needs to be applied carefully to the subject vehicle, with adjustments made for differences in condition, mileage, specification and provenance.
The report itself then needs to be written to the appropriate standard. Where the instruction is for use in legal proceedings, be it Family Court, probate, criminal or civil litigation, the report must comply with the relevant procedural rules, include a formal expert declaration, and be structured to withstand scrutiny. That is not a quick job, and it should not be.
Typical Turnaround Times
For a single vehicle I would typically aim to deliver within 3 to 5 days of inspection, and often sooner. For a larger instruction – for example, a schedule of ten or more vehicles, which is common in financial remedy proceedings or estate valuations – the realistic timeframe is 7 to 10 working days from inspection. That allows for thorough research on each vehicle, proper report construction, and review before delivery. Rushing that process on a multi-vehicle instruction risks errors, and a valuation report that is challenged or found to be insufficiently evidenced serves nobody.
What Can Affect the Timeline
Unusual or rare vehicles take longer to research: the thinner the market, the harder it is to find genuine comparables. Incomplete documentation or missing identification numbers require more investigative work. Large or complex schedules, particularly where vehicles span different categories such as motorcycles, commercial vehicles and classics alongside road cars, add time at every stage.
If your instruction has a fixed deadline: a court hearing date, mediation appointment, Inheritance Tax or probate timeline, or a settlement meeting perhaps, the earlier you can provide the full vehicle details and arrange access for inspection, the better placed I am to meet it comfortably.
John Glynn is an independent vehicle valuation expert witness accepting instructions from solicitors, executors and direct clients across England and Wales.