Profit & max-bid calculator

Fees and VAT are worked out from the published fee tables. Everything else is your estimate. Change any number, and use the override boxes if your invoice says something different.

1. The auction

Auction

Yard

Your bid (hammer price), £

Buyer level

How you bid

This lot is VAT-qualifying (adds 20% VAT to the hammer price)

Most salvage cars aren't VAT-qualifying. The listing will say if one is.

Override fees (use your invoice figures)

Leave blank to use our table. Enter amounts before VAT.

Buyer fee £

Internet bid fee £

Admin fee £

Retrieval fee £

Other auction charges £ (before VAT)

For example storage or late payment fees.

2. Getting it home

Deliver to

Miles (optional)

Your transport quote £ (optional)

3. Making it saleable

Repairs and parts £

MOT £

£54.85 is the maximum MOT fee for a car.

Other costs £

Valet, HPI check, advertising, fuel and so on.

4. Selling it

Expected resale £

Use real sold prices for the same car, not asking prices.

Profit you want £

Fuel

Euro standard

First registered (year)

Month

Your numbers

Max bid for your target profit–

Auction total–

All-in cost–

Profit–

Margin on sale–

Return on cash–

Transport prices are rough estimates and LEZ results are a guide. Check the reg on the official checker. Max bid is the highest whole-pound bid that still leaves your target profit after the fees at that bid.

The fee tables we use

All figures are before VAT. Each auction can change its fees at any time, so check its own page before you bid.

Copart Published table, verify

Copart UK member fee schedule (Fee B standard, Fee A for 12+ vehicles in the previous or current calendar year), internet bid fees and the £50 lot retrieval fee, as reproduced by independent UK calculators. Checked 28 Oct 2026. We couldn't read Copart's own fee page automatically. If your invoice differs, use the override boxes.

IAA UK Confirmed

Standard IAA UK buyer fees, admin fees and the £50 lot retrieval fee from iaai.co.uk/buyer-fees, effective 1 April 2026. Checked 28 Oct 2026.

BCA Confirmed (to £10,499)

BCA Blue (Standard) buyer fee rates, effective 30 March 2026 (BCA April 2026 rate card). Above £10,499, type your fee in yourself. Silver and Gold rates for regular buyers are lower, so use the override box.

Manheim Your estimate

Manheim doesn't publish a buyer fee table and asks buyers to confirm costs with their local centre. We put in £350 as a starting guess. Change it to your real figure.