Auction tools · Copart · UK fee tables
Copart fee calculator
Enter your bid to see the Copart buyer's fee, the £60 lot retrieval fee, VAT on the hammer and the true all-in cost before you bid. UK rates, updated for 2026.
Copart and BCA are trademarks of their respective owners. CarMate is not affiliated with them; fees shown are independent estimates.
Fee tiers are approximate and include VAT. Verify current rates on the auction platform before bidding.
You'll pay about £4,370 to land it. The real question: is it worth that much?
Fees are the easy part. A Copart lot can still hide structural damage, a repair bill that eats your margin, or outstanding finance you'd inherit. Run this exact lot and you get the four numbers the fee can't:
Worked out on the real car from its reg, not a guess. Your first check is free.
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Copart UK buyer fee tiers
Copart's buyer fee is a flat amount per price band rather than a percentage, until you get above £10,000 where it becomes roughly 7.8% of the hammer. Every purchase also carries a mandatory £60 lot retrieval fee. All figures include VAT.
Copart Buyer's Fee
| Hammer Price | Buyer's Fee (inc. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Under £100 | £78–£102 (inc. VAT) |
| £100 – £999 | £102–£252 flat (inc. VAT) |
| £1,000 – £2,999 | £270–£468 flat (inc. VAT) |
| £3,000 – £4,999 | £510–£612 flat (inc. VAT) |
| £5,000 – £9,999 | £666–£708 flat (inc. VAT) |
| £10,000+ | 7.8% of hammer (inc. VAT) |
Plus a mandatory lot retrieval fee of £60 inc. VAT on every purchase.
Understanding Copart fees
Flat fees, not a percentage
Unlike most auctions, Copart charges a flat fee per price band rather than a percentage. A £1,900 bid and a £1,100 bid can carry the same fee, so nudging your bid up a little can cost you nothing extra, or tip you into the next band.
Above £10,000 it switches to roughly 7.8% of the hammer inclusive of VAT.
The lot retrieval fee
Every purchase carries a mandatory £60 lot retrieval fee inc. VAT, previously called the gate fee. It applies whatever you paid, so on a cheap lot it is a meaningful slice of the total.
It is the charge buyers most often leave out of their sums, because it sits apart from the buyer's fee.
VAT on the hammer
Copart sells a lot of insurance and fleet stock, which is usually VAT qualifying, so 20% is added to the hammer price. On a £3,000 bid that is £600 before a single fee.
Not every lot qualifies. Copart marks them, so check the listing rather than assuming either way.
The category letter is not the whole story
Two Cat N cars can be a world apart: one needs a bumper and a headlight, the other has flood damage through the wiring. The letter tells you the damage was non-structural, not what it will cost you.
CarMate reads the actual lot, the damage description and the salvage photos, and works the all-in cost against what the car is worth repaired.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Copart UK buyer fees work?
Copart charges a tiered flat buyer's fee based on the hammer price, not a straight percentage. A £500 lot carries around £168 inc. VAT, a £2,000 lot around £372, and a £5,000 lot around £612. Above £10,000 it switches to roughly 7.8% of the hammer inclusive of VAT. On top of that every purchase carries a mandatory lot retrieval fee of £60 inc. VAT, previously called the gate fee.
What is the Copart lot retrieval fee?
It is a mandatory per-purchase charge of £50 plus VAT, so £60, applied to every lot you win. It used to be called the gate fee. It is easy to miss when you are budgeting because it is separate from the buyer's fee and applies regardless of the hammer price.
Does Copart charge VAT on the hammer price?
On most lots, yes. Copart sells a lot of insurance and fleet stock, which is usually VAT qualifying, so 20% is added to the hammer price. On a £3,000 bid that is £600 before any fees at all. Copart marks each lot, so check the listing before you bid rather than assuming.
Can private buyers bid at Copart UK?
Yes. Copart UK is open to the public, unlike some trade-only auctions. Basic membership is free but carries a higher buyer's fee percentage, and paid Premier membership lowers the rate, which pays for itself if you buy regularly. Registration needs valid ID and proof of address.
What else should I budget for on a Copart lot?
Beyond the hammer, VAT on the hammer where it applies, the buyer's fee and the £60 lot retrieval fee: transport, which is £150-250 for a drive-away and £250-400 for a non-runner on a low-loader; an MOT at £54.85 if the existing one has lapsed; storage, which Copart charges from the day after the sale, so collect promptly; and for a Cat S car, DVLA re-registration at around £300-500.
Is a Copart car worth buying?
It depends entirely on the lot, and the category letter alone will not tell you. Two cars can both be Cat N and one is a bumper and a headlight while the other has flood damage through the loom. Work out your all-in cost first, then look at what was actually damaged and what the car is worth repaired. If the margin does not survive an honest repair estimate, walk away.
How accurate is this Copart fee calculator?
It uses Copart UK's published buyer fee tiers, accurate at the time of writing, plus the £60 lot retrieval fee. Copart revises its fee structure periodically and rates differ by membership tier, so treat this as a planning guide for setting a sensible maximum bid rather than a quote for a specific lot.
Buying to sell? Screen the whole catalogue first.
Paste a run of regs or a Copart and BCA lot list. Get the damage, the all-in cost with fees and VAT, market value and a max bid on every lot, before you bid. One bad buy shouldn't eat the profit on three good ones.
Before you bid, know what you're bidding on
Screenshot the Copart lot and run it through CarMate for the damage read, a repair estimate and the all-in cost, with a clear go or no-go. You get 1 free credit when you sign up. Bidding at BCA instead? Use the BCA fee calculator.