METHODOLOGY

The numbers behind the number

An underwriter can’t sign off a value they can’t defend. So the first question we get from asset-finance teams isn’t “how fast” — it’s “where does the number come from, and how do I know it’s right?” Here is the honest answer.

185,405
REALISED SALES IN THE COMP SET
5,516
DISTINCT MAKES
£1.83bn
HAMMER PRICE INDEXED
2023–2026
SALE-DATE SPAN

Live figures, read from the comparables database this valuation engine queries. Not a marketing round-number.

1. Every value is anchored to real sales, not opinion

ExactVal doesn’t guess a number from a model in the abstract. It matches the machine to realised hammer prices from UK and US auctions — the price a comparable asset actually changed hands for — and prices from there. Comparables are found by widening search: exact model first, then make, then machine type, so the tightest available match wins.

2. Three numbers, because one number lies

A single “value” hides the risk. Every report gives the three an underwriter actually needs:

Fire‑sale
FORCED LIQUIDATION, NO MARKETING TIME
Average
OPEN-MARKET — THE LTV ANCHOR
Retail
DEALER FORECOURT, PREPPED

Condition shifts the anchor before the tiers are applied (an A–E rubric), so a worn machine isn’t priced like a clean one.

3. A confidence score you can act on

Every valuation carries a confidence figure that reflects how it was found: a model-level match on a deep, tight comp set scores high; a thin, scattered category match scores low and says so. You see when to trust the number and when to look closer — the opposite of a black box.

4. Existence, not just value

The most defensible value is worthless if the machine isn’t there. Guided live capture ties the shots to the moment and device, so you’re valuing an asset that provably exists — not a recycled dealer photo. More on existence proofing →

5. How we hold ourselves to account

We maintain a Golden Eval Set: a hand-collected set of real UK machines with known realised auction prices, kept separate from the production comps so it stays a clean yardstick. We score the engine against it, and we publish the results here as the set reaches a size worth quoting. We’d rather show you the method now and the audited number when it’s honest than lead with a figure we can’t stand behind.

Don’t take our word for it — test us.
Send us three machines you’ve already sold or valued. We’ll value them blind and show you how close we land. Start the head-to-head →

Value a machine yourself

The fastest way to judge a valuation tool is to point it at a machine you already know. Try the live demo, or bring three of your own deals.

Bring three machines →  How it works