In the context of a salvage auction, the ACV is used to determine the reserve price, which is the minimum bid that the seller will accept for the car. The reserve price is typically set at a percentage of the ACV. For example, if the ACV of a car is $10,000, the reserve price might be set at $8,000.
Buyers at a salvage auction should be aware of the ACV of a car before they bid, so that they can avoid paying more than the car is worth.