Fees, REPORTS & GRADING

buying a car at auction

How Much Does Your
Service Cost?

You don’t need to pay us anything until you are ready to go ahead and bid on the car you want, only then do we ask for our fee to be paid.

Browse potential vehicles by clicking on the individual auction logo’s. Send the results over to us and our team will provide all the relevant information on the vehicle including mechanical and cosmetic reports along with the auction guide prices and assist you in determining a maximum bid.

Our fee provides unlimited bids until successful!

Fee Table

Our service operates using a small one-off fee allowing you to bid on as many cars as necessary for one purchase. This means that if one bid falls through then it’s not going to cost you any more to place further bids until you are successful.

Here’s what our charges are:

Unlimited Bids
Vehicle Value – ÂŁ0 to ÂŁ5,000
Unlimited bids until successful
ÂŁ295
Vehicle Value – ÂŁ5,001 to ÂŁ20,000
Unlimited bids until successful
ÂŁ395
Vehicle Value – ÂŁ20,001 to ÂŁ30,000
Unlimited bids until successful
ÂŁ495
Vehicle Value – ÂŁ30,001 to ÂŁ40,000
Unlimited bids until successful
ÂŁ595
Vehicle Value – ÂŁ40,001 to ÂŁ50,000
Unlimited bids until successful
ÂŁ695
Vehicle Value – ÂŁ50,001 and above
Unlimited bids until successful
ÂŁ795

Our latest auction purchases

Mechanical and Condition Reports

Most vehicles when sold at auction should be accompanied by 2 types of reports to provide more detailed information about the vehicle, these report on the mechanical and cosmetic condition of the vehicle.

There are generally two types of mechanical report available which differ in cost. A typical example would be a BCA Essential check, which is a basic mechanical report at a cost of only ÂŁ9.50 excl. VAT.

A more detailed BCA Assured report currently costs ÂŁ42 excl. VAT. This includes extra information not provided on the BCA essential check and is only offered with certain vehicles under 8 years old and under 120,000 miles, generally the higher value vehicles to provide some extra peace of mind to the buyer. You are able to make claims against an Assured vehicle but not when its covered by the Essential check.  If a vehicle is being sold without any reports this does not mean that there is anything wrong with the vehicle, the vendor has just chosen not to have a report undertaken.

There is no additional charge for condition reports. Condition reports are generally only available for cars up to 10 years old.  Commercial vehicles are graded from 1-5 but do not come with a condition report.

Grading

Some smaller auction companies may employ their own grading structure but most will follow the guidelines set out by The National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) who represent motor auctions within the UK. The NAMA Grading scheme for vehicles has been developed to enhance transparency and make it easier for auction buyers to select the vehicles they want to buy.

NAMA Vehicle grading is a single scheme that has been adopted across the auction sector to guarantee a consistent vehicle grading standard. The scheme benefits auction buyers quite simply by giving clear and definable indication of a vehicles condition, allowing buyers to purchase with confidence.

The scheme has 5 grades which are based on the external condition of a vehicle. The grades are determined on a points system allocated by type and severity of damage. Grades are assessed by inspectors at each auction specifically trained to grade vehicles and working to a strict standard.

Over 90% of vehicles sold at auction are currently graded. Since the scheme was first launched in excess of 10 million vehicles have been given a grade.

 

Auction house buyers fees

All auction houses will charge a buyers fees on the final sale price of vehicles at auction known as the “hammer price”. The hammer price is the price that the car sells for on the day at auction. The fee varies depending on which auction house is selling the vehicle and the final hammer price.

Due to the volume of vehicles we buy each year our buyers fees are significantly reduced and of course we pass this saving on to you!  This saving on the auction house buying fee more than covers our fee so essentially you are saving money before the bidding has even begun!

Vehicle Pricing - CAP (Clean, Average, Below) 

The CAP “Clean” value indicates the top trade value of the vehicle if it is ready to retail, has a current MOT, full service history, all documents and spare keys.  This is only a guide price, the vehicle may sell for more or less than this guide. 

The CAP “Average” value means the vehicle is in reasonable condition given age and mileage but is not in its best condition. 

CAP “Below” value indicates the vehicle is in below average condition for its given age and mileage and requires either or both mechanical and cosmetic rectification in order for it to be retailed.

Trusted by the motor industry for over 80 years,  HPI has a team of highly experienced researchers who work closely with various industry experts and motorists to collect and analyse data on a weekly basis. Used car prices are reviewed and compiled into the award winning “CAP-HPI Black Book” which as become the industry leading used car price guide for dealers in the UK. 

You can obtain a FREE vehicle trade valuation by following the link below:  
https://www.hpi.co.uk/car-valuation.html

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