American online auctions list thousands of cars a week, and the prices can look too good to ignore. The worry is obvious: you are bidding on a car you have never seen, in a yard you will never visit, under rules you do not know. Most of that risk comes down to a few checks before you bid, and the shipping side is something we do every week.
This guide covers the main auction houses, what a salvage title means for a UK import, how buying through a broker works, and what happens once the hammer falls.
- Shipping from the USA
- From £1,450, shipping only
- Time at sea
- Around 2 to 4 weeks
- Import tax
- 10% duty + 20% VAT
- Key document
- The US title
The main auction houses
Three names come up more than any other. They sell very different cars to very different buyers, so it helps to know which one you are looking at.
Copart and IAAI
Copart and IAAI (Insurance Auto Auctions) are best known for selling cars on behalf of insurance companies. A lot of their stock has been in an accident, a flood or a theft, and has been written off by the insurer. Alongside those you will find recovered cars, fleet cars and some with clean titles.
Both run online bidding, so you can buy from anywhere. Each listing gives the title type, the main damage the yard has recorded, photos and the yard's location. Those details matter far more than the price.
Manheim
Manheim is a wholesale auction for the motor trade. It is generally for licensed dealers only, so a private buyer in the UK would normally reach its stock through a US dealer or exporter rather than bidding directly.
Buying through a broker
Many lots on Copart and IAAI can only be bought by a licensed dealer, and the rules depend on the state the car is in and the type of title it carries. If you are not licensed, the usual answer is a broker who bids on your behalf.
Copart's own help pages say brokers set their own fees, which Copart has no control over. Get the broker's full fee in writing before you bid, along with the auction's buyer fees, so the winning bid does not turn out to be half the story.
A good broker will also tell you whether a lot is open to you at all, and help with payment and the title once you have won. Ask how they handle the title, because that is the document that decides whether the car can leave the country.
Salvage titles and UK registration
This is the part that catches people out. A salvage title in the US means the car has been declared a loss, usually by an insurer. It can still be shipped, but shipping is not the hard part.
Generally speaking, a UK registration really needs a clean title to have any chance of going smoothly. With a damaged car, registration means looking at its history, the extent of the damage, the repairs done and any salvage or rebuilt title. A cheap car with a branded title can end up being the slowest and dearest import on the yard.
Talk to us before you bid on a salvage car. Send us the lot number and we will tell you what we think the registration side is likely to involve. It is far easier to walk away from a bid than from a car that is already on a ship.
Some lots are sold for parts only and are not meant to go back on the road at all. Those are not cars to import for registration. Our guide to buying a car abroad safely covers title and finance checks in more detail.
What to check before you bid
You will not see the car in person, so the listing and the paperwork have to do the work. These are the checks we would make on any auction car heading for the UK.
Before you bid
0 of 9 done
If the car is worth it, an independent inspector can usually look at a lot before the sale. It costs a little, and it is a lot cheaper than finding out about a bent chassis in Castle Donington.
Running and driving matters for shipping
A car that runs and drives can go by RoRo, where it is driven onto the ship. A non-runner needs to go in a container, and it takes more handling at both ends. Tell us which it is when you ask for a quote. Our comparison of container, RoRo or air sets out the trade-offs.
After you win
Auction yards do not like keeping cars. Copart, for one, starts charging storage if a car has not been collected by the third business day after the sale, counting the day of the auction. So the sooner collection is booked, the better.
We collect from anywhere in the USA, including auction yards, and truck the car to the port. You do not need to be there. Give us the yard, the lot number and the release details, and we arrange the rest.
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Sale day
You win the lot
Pay the auction, or your broker, within their deadline.
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Straight after
Collection booked
We collect from the yard and truck the car to the port, before storage charges build up.
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Before sailing
Title in hand
US Customs needs the title at the port at least 72 hours before the car leaves.
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Around 2 to 4 weeks
At sea
Around 2 weeks from the East Coast and around 4 from the West Coast.
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In the UK
Customs, testing and registration
We clear the car, convert it, test it and register it at our site in Castle Donington.
The title and US export
US Customs and Border Protection describes the certificate of title as the core requirement for exporting a vehicle. The original title, or a certified copy, has to be presented with the car at the port. For a car going by sea, the documents and the car must be there at least 72 hours before it leaves.
After an auction, the title can take a while to come through. The car cannot sail without it, so ask the auction or your broker when to expect it and send us a copy as soon as you have it. If there is a lien on the car, CBP also wants a signed letter from the lienholder allowing export.
Shipping and tax
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from the USA starts from £1,450. That is shipping only, and the inland leg from the yard to the port is part of the price, so a yard near New York costs less to move than one in the middle of the country. Our guide to the cost of shipping a car from the USA goes through what moves the figure.
A car from the USA pays 10% import duty and 20% import VAT, worked out on the price plus the shipping. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. Tax is based on what you paid, so keep the auction invoice and the broker's paperwork together. The import tax calculator will give you a rough figure before you bid.
Making it UK road legal
American cars usually need lighting work: amber rear indicators, side repeaters, a rear fog light and headlights set up for driving on the left. A car under 10 years old then takes an IVA test and an older one takes an MOT. Any accident repairs have to be right too, because the test looks at the structure as well as the lights.
We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, and our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register imported cars within 10 working days once they pass. See converting an American car for UK roads and the IVA test explained for the detail.
Questions people ask
Can I buy from Copart or IAAI without a dealer licence?
Often yes, through a broker who bids for you. Whether a lot is open to you depends on the state the car is in and its title type. Get the broker fee and the auction fees in writing before you bid.
Can I import a salvage title car to the UK?
It can be much harder. A UK registration really needs a clean title to go smoothly, and a damaged car means looking at its history, the damage, the repairs and any salvage or rebuilt title. Send us the lot number before you bid.
Can you collect a car from an auction yard?
Yes. We collect from anywhere in the USA, including auction yards, and truck the car to the port. Book it quickly, as yards charge storage if a car is not collected soon after the sale.
What paperwork do I need from the auction?
The title, the auction invoice or bill of sale, and your broker paperwork if you used one. US Customs needs the title at the port at least 72 hours before the car sails.
Does an auction car need to run to be shipped?
Not necessarily. A car that runs and drives can go by RoRo. A non-runner can go in a container, so tell us which it is when you ask for a quote.
Got a lot number? Send it to us on the quote form and we will price the collection, shipping and registration before you bid.
