Winning a car at auction is the easy part. Getting it home — often a non-runner, hundreds of miles away, with storage fees ticking — is where people come unstuck. Whether you bought on Copart, BCA, Manheim or eBay, here’s a straightforward guide to getting your auction car delivered to your door.
The clock starts the moment you win
Most auction sites charge storage fees by the day once you’ve paid, and some give you only a few days before charges kick in. That’s the single biggest reason to arrange collection quickly — every day the car sits on the compound is money off your margin. Sort transport as soon as the invoice lands, not after.
Can’t you just drive it home?
Sometimes — but often not. A huge share of auction stock is salvage and non-runners: no keys, a flat or missing battery, accident damage, or a Category S / Category N marker. Even a clean runner usually has no tax or insurance in your name yet, so driving it away isn’t road-legal. Transport sidesteps all of that. (More on moving non-runners and project cars.)
How auction car transport works
- You send the details — auction site, lot number, the vehicle, and where it’s going.
- We arrange release — using your release paperwork or gate pass, we collect from the compound. You usually don’t need to be there.
- It’s loaded on a flatbed — with a winch for anything that won’t roll or start.
- Delivered to your door — home, unit or forecourt, anywhere in the UK.
The main UK auctions we collect from
- Copart — salvage and insurance stock; mostly non-runners, all UK sites.
- BCA (British Car Auctions) — the UK’s biggest; trade, fleet and ex-lease.
- Manheim — trade and dealer stock.
- eBay Motors — private “collection only” buys, often at distance.
- Plus IAA, SYNETIQ, Aston Barclay, John Pye and every local auction — just tell us where.
See our full auction car transport service for the whole picture.
What does it cost?
There’s no one-size price, because the fair rate depends on the route, the vehicle and who’s already heading that way. Rather than one truck charging one fixed price, K9 puts your job to a nationwide network of vetted transporters, and the driver best placed for your route wins it — so you get the keenest price in the country, often from someone who’d otherwise run empty past the auction. Send the job and your price comes back in minutes.
Buying salvage? Non-runners are our bread and butter
Category S and N repairables, no keys, seized engines, crash damage — none of it is a problem. Flatbed and winch as standard means a car that won’t start is loaded safely and delivered without a scratch more.
Tips for a smooth collection
- Pay and release promptly — transport can’t collect until the site releases the car.
- Have the paperwork ready — invoice, gate pass / release note and lot number.
- Flag known issues — if it won’t roll or steer, tell us up front so the right kit turns up.
- Book early in the day — compounds have collection windows; the sooner it’s arranged, the sooner it’s gone.
Get your auction car home
Won a car and need it collected? Send us the details for a keen price in minutes, or call 07301 118118 — 24/7, anywhere in the UK.