How to transport a salvage car home in the UK
Won a Copart lot? Now you have to get it home. Trailer, transporter or Copart delivery, with real costs and the rules.
BUYING · 4 min read
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It is a real cost, budget it
Collection is not free and it is not optional. A non-runner cannot be driven away even if it were legal to, and most salvage is not road legal until repaired anyway. Factor transport into your total cost before you bid, because it can be £100 to £300 depending on distance.
Option one: your own trailer
The cheapest long-term option if you flip regularly. A car trailer and a vehicle that can legally tow it pays for itself quickly. Check your licence covers the combined weight, and that the car is strapped properly. Copart yards load you, but you secure the load.
Option two: a man with a transporter
Local vehicle transporters will collect from the yard and drop at your address for a fixed price. Get quotes in advance and factor the yard location into which lots you chase. A car three hours away needs to be a much better deal to be worth it.
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Option three: Copart's own delivery
Copart offers a delivery service you can book online with a quote. Convenient, priced by distance, and worth it when you do not have a trailer or the yard is far. Book it promptly, because storage charges start after the free collection period and are charged per day, at a rate that varies by yard.
Do not let storage eat your margin
The free collection window is short. Miss it and daily storage charges pile up fast, quietly turning a good deal into a bad one. Have your transport plan sorted before you bid, not after you win. The Analyzer includes transport and storage in the total investment so the profit number is honest.
See the median closing bid recorded for each model, free
Related guides
- Buying a salvage car with no keys: what it really costs - What a no-keys salvage lot means for starting, moving and registering the car, what to budget before you bid, and how far no-keys lots actually go for less.
- Copart damage types explained: what each label means - Front End, Mechanical, Water/Flood, Burn and the rest: what each Copart damage label means, what it leaves out, and what each damage type goes for.
- SalvageMarket buyer fees: the full table vs Copart's - SalvageMarket's full buyer fee table, the £35 admin fee and the yard's site fee, what it costs to join, and where it works out dearer or cheaper than Copart.