What fees does Copart UK charge buyers?
Three main fees: a lot retrieval fee (a flat £50 across all vehicles), a buyer fee (a tiered percentage or flat amount based on the sale price), and a bidding fee (based on whether you placed a preliminary bid or bid live during the auction). All of these are charged in addition to your winning bid, and VAT is added on top of the fees.
What's the difference between High Volume and Low Volume buyer fees?
High Volume (Fee A) applies if you've purchased 12 or more vehicles in the current or previous calendar year — it's a lower fee. Low Volume (Fee B) applies to everyone else and is higher. Most occasional or first-time buyers will be on Low Volume.
What's the difference between a preliminary bid and a live bid?
A preliminary bid is placed before the live auction starts. A live (online) bid is placed during the live auction itself. Copart charges a different bidding fee depending on which one wins the lot — live bidding fees are generally a little higher than preliminary bidding fees at the same price point.
Is VAT charged on the vehicle price, or just the fees?
Our calculator applies VAT only to the buyer fee, bidding fee, and lot retrieval fee — not to the winning bid itself. VAT treatment of the vehicle price can vary by lot and by scheme, so this is something to confirm directly with Copart for the specific lot you're bidding on.
How do I estimate my profit on a Copart vehicle?
Add up your total landed cost (winning bid, buyer fee, bidding fee, lot retrieval fee, and VAT), then add your estimated repair cost to get your all-in cost. Subtract that from what you expect to resell the vehicle for — that's your estimated profit. Our Copart calculator does this automatically.
Can I download a copy of my calculation?
Yes — the calculator has a "Download PDF summary" button that saves a PDF with your full breakdown, ready to keep for your records or send to someone else.
Are these fees guaranteed to be accurate?
The fee tables are based on Copart UK's published buyer fee schedule at the time this tool was built, but Copart can change its fees at any time, and your own membership tier may affect what you're actually charged. Always confirm current fees directly with Copart before bidding.