Quick Answer
Copart UK adds a tiered Fee B buyer premium, an internet bid fee and a £50 lot-retrieval fee to your hammer price, and 20% VAT is charged on all three. On a £2,000 VAT Margin win the fees come to about £575 including VAT, for an all-in cost near £2,575 — but a VAT Qualifying lot adds another 20% VAT on the £2,000 bid (£400), pushing it to about £2,975.
How Copart UK Fees Are Calculated
Copart UK prices work differently from the US. The fees are in pounds, 20% VAT is added to every fee, and whether the vehicle itself carries VAT depends on the lot type:
The Fee B buyer premium is tiered by the hammer price; the internet bid fee is tiered by the bid and higher for a Live bid; the lot retrieval is £50 (£60 inc VAT). Vehicle VAT is 0 on a VAT Margin lot and 20% of the hammer price on a VAT Qualifying lot.
Copart UK Fee B Chart (Standard Buyer)
This calculator models the Fee B public buyer (under 12 cars a year). Fee B runs as flat brackets that rise with the hammer price, then becomes 6.5% of the bid at £10,000 and above. Here is the full published schedule, net and inclusive of 20% VAT:
| Hammer price | Fee B (net) | Inc 20% VAT |
|---|---|---|
| £0 – £49.99 | £20 | £24.00 |
| £50 – £99.99 | £65 | £78.00 |
| £100 – £199.99 | £85 | £102.00 |
| £200 – £299.99 | £105 | £126.00 |
| £300 – £399.99 | £115 – £125 | £138 – £150 |
| £400 – £499.99 | £135 – £140 | £162 – £168 |
| £500 – £599.99 | £145 – £150 | £174 – £180 |
| £600 – £799.99 | £165 – £180 | £198 – £216 |
| £800 – £999.99 | £195 – £210 | £234 – £252 |
| £1,000 – £1,199.99 | £225 | £270.00 |
| £1,200 – £1,499.99 | £245 – £265 | £294 – £318 |
| £1,500 – £1,999.99 | £275 – £310 | £330 – £372 |
| £2,000 – £2,499.99 | £340 – £365 | £408 – £438 |
| £2,500 – £2,999.99 | £390 | £468.00 |
| £3,000 – £3,999.99 | £425 – £465 | £510 – £558 |
| £4,000 – £4,999.99 | £510 | £612.00 |
| £5,000 – £5,999.99 | £555 | £666.00 |
| £6,000 – £7,499.99 | £565 | £678.00 |
| £7,500 – £9,999.99 | £590 | £708.00 |
| £10,000 and up | 6.5% of bid | 7.8% inc VAT |
The internet bid fee is tiered by the bid and a little higher for a Live bid than a Preliminary (Pre-Bid):
| Bid amount | Pre-Bid (net) | Live (net) |
|---|---|---|
| £0 – £99.99 | Free | Free |
| £100 – £499.99 | £25 | £35 |
| £500 – £999.99 | £39 | £49 |
| £1,000 – £1,499.99 | £59 | £69 |
| £2,000 – £3,999.99 | £79 | £89 |
| £6,000 – £7,999.99 | £95 | £105 |
| £8,000 and up | £99 | £109 |
Other Copart UK Fees: Late Payment, Relist & Storage
The fees above are what you pay on a normal, prompt purchase. Miss a deadline and these kick in — the relist fee in particular dwarfs everything else:
| Fee | Typical amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Lot retrieval | £50 + VAT (£60) | Every sale — mandatory vehicle movement |
| Late payment fee | £50 | If unpaid within 3 business days of the invoice |
| Storage fee | Charged for weekends / bank holidays | After the first few days, until collection |
| Relist fee | 10% of bid (min ≈£300) | If unpaid by around day 6–8 — the lot is relisted |
How to Use the Copart UK Fee Calculator
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Enter the hammer price
Type the bid you expect to win the vehicle for, in pounds. Every fee is worked out from this figure.
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Set the bid type and VAT status
Choose Live bid or Pre-Bid (Live costs a little more in internet bid fee), then pick VAT Margin or VAT Qualifying from the lot details — this decides whether 20% VAT is added to the bid itself.
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Read the breakdown
The result panel lists the hammer price, any vehicle VAT, Fee B, the internet bid fee and the £60 lot retrieval — all including VAT — and the all-in total. It also shows the total VAT you pay and the fees as a percentage of your bid.
Copart UK Fee Examples
| Hammer | Bid type / VAT | Fees inc VAT | All-in cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| £500 | Pre-Bid · Margin | £280.80 | £780.80 |
| £2,000 | Live · Margin | £574.80 | £2,574.80 |
| £2,000 | Live · Qualifying | £574.80 | £2,974.80 |
| £5,000 | Live · Margin | £844.80 | £5,844.80 |
The two £2,000 rows are the same vehicle and fees — the only difference is the VAT status. The Qualifying lot adds 20% VAT (£400) to the hammer price, which is why checking that label matters so much.
How to Reduce Copart UK Fees
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Check the VAT status before you bid
A VAT Qualifying lot adds 20% to the hammer price that a private buyer cannot reclaim. On a £5,000 car that is £1,000 — favour VAT Margin lots unless you are VAT-registered.
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Pay and collect promptly
Pay within 3 business days to skip the £50 late fee, collect before storage charges build up, and never let a lot reach the relist stage (10% of the bid, minimum about £300).
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Use a Pre-Bid where you can
A Preliminary bid’s internet fee is about £10 lower than a Live bid across most brackets — small, but it adds up across several cars.
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Budget with VAT and fees, not just the bid
Run the number through this calculator first and set a maximum bid that keeps the all-in (inc-VAT) total inside your budget.
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Buy enough to reach Fee A
Buyers taking 12+ vehicles a year move to the cheaper Fee A schedule. If you flip regularly, the volume can pay for itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buying at a Copart auction outside the UK? Use our Copart Fee Calculator (USA) for US dollar fees, or the Copart Canada Fee Calculator for CAD fees plus provincial GST/HST/PST.
