The Complete Guide to Buying Cars from Copart

Copart is the world's largest online vehicle auction platform, selling over three million vehicles a year across more than 200 locations in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, UAE and beyond. Most stock comes from insurance total losses, but Copart also lists fleet, dealer and bank repossession vehicles in genuinely clean condition. Every lot includes photographs, a condition report and, for many US lots, a free run-and-drive video, giving overseas buyers enough information to bid confidently without seeing the car in person. Compare this against rivals in our Copart vs IAAI vs Manheim guide.

International buyers register through Copart's website and typically need a refundable deposit (usually $400-$1,000 depending on membership tier), a copy of photo ID, and proof of address. Standard membership grants access to most lots, while a Premier or International membership unlocks additional auctions and sometimes reduces buyer fees. Registration is normally approved within 24-48 hours, after which you can browse live and pre-bid on member lots.

Titles fall broadly into Clean, Salvage, Rebuilt/Reconstructed, and Parts Only categories, with individual US states using their own terminology (e.g. 'Certificate of Destruction' in some states means the car cannot be re-titled at all). Always check the title status before bidding — a Parts Only title cannot legally be registered as a roadworthy vehicle anywhere, including the UK. For UK import purposes, Salvage and Rebuilt titles are acceptable but the vehicle will need an IVA test before DVLA registration.

Copart charges a buyer's premium on top of the hammer price, calculated on a sliding scale — typically $50-$200 for cheaper lots rising to a percentage of sale price on higher-value vehicles, plus a virtual bid fee (VB3/VB2 live bidding fee) if you're not physically in the lane. Budget an additional 8-12% of hammer price for total buyer fees, then a Copart internal transport or 'gate pass' fee of roughly $150-$400 to release the vehicle for collection or forwarding to a shipping agent.

Once you win a lot, Copart requires payment (usually within 3-5 business days) before releasing the title and vehicle. We collect directly from the Copart yard using our US network, consolidate your vehicle with others heading to the same UK port where possible to reduce cost, and handle the export paperwork, ocean freight and UK customs clearance. Typical door-to-port transit from a US yard to Southampton is 3-5 weeks depending on sailing schedules; see our shipping cost guide for full pricing.