Copart Reviews
Copart has a long history of salvaging vehicles and helping businesses sell their unwanted cars. Today, Copart also buys cars directly from consumers through its online offer system. So, should you use Copart to sell your car? Our team has reviewed the best places to sell a car and ranks Copart among our top picks. Read on to see if it’s right for your situation.
Our Copart Review: 4.3 Stars
We rate Copart 4.3 out of 5.0 stars overall. It offers a fast online quote process and free pickup, but we’ve seen higher quotes for some vehicles from other companies. We recommend comparing Copart with quotes you find from other car buying websites like Peddle to see which offers the best deal.
What Is Copart?
Founded over 40 years ago as a salvage yard, Copart is one of the largest auto auction companies today. The company holds online auctions of used vehicles, salvage cars, junk cars, total-loss cars, and repossessed vehicles. It’s based in Dallas, Texas, but operates through over 200 locations across the country. It also purchases cars directly from individuals through Copart Direct and CashForCars, which is the service we’ll be reviewing today. While we’ll touch on its auction services, we’ll primarily focus on selling a car online to Copart.
In addition to cars, trucks, and SUVs, Copart can buy motorcycles, RVs, work trucks, boats, Jet Skis, and more.
Copart Pros And Cons
Is Copart Legit?
Copart is a legitimate organization with a good history in the industry. The company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and is transparent with its overall business practices. If you are looking to buy or sell a used car, Copart can be a reliable option.
How To Sell Your Car To Copart
Selling your car to Copart is a quick and easy process. You can get an online offer for your car from Copart.com, CopartDirect.com, or CashForCars.com. Copart buys vehicles of all ages and conditions, but its online offer system only works for older vehicles. You can get an offer for a newer vehicle by calling Copart, but in our experience, you might get better offers from sites like Cars.com if the car is in good condition.
Getting An Offer
Copart’s offer form consists of a few basic questions. You can start with your car’s year, make, model, and trim, or you can add the VIN to skip those questions. After that, Copart asks:
- What’s the title type (clean, salvaged, rebuilt, no title)?
- What’s your zip code?
- Does the car start and drive?
- What’s the mileage?
- Are there keys available?
- Is there damage?
- Are there mechanical issues?
- Is there a current lien?
After that, just enter your email to view your offer.
Does Copart Charge Any Fees To Sell a Car?
Copart doesn’t charge you anything to sell a vehicle directly to the company. The quote you receive is what the company will pay for your car, without any fees added on.
Accepting The Offer
You’ll have 30 days to accept the offer if it looks good to you. If you choose to accept it, Copart will contact you to schedule the pickup.
How Long Does Copart Take To Pick Up Your Car?
Because Copart has over 200 locations across the country, it can usually pick up your car within 24 to 48 hours. However, Copart doesn’t guarantee this time frame as it depends on tow truck availability. You’ll get a window of time for pickup.
Finalizing The Sale
Get your car ready by emptying all personal items and securing any loose parts if you’re selling a totaled vehicle. Gather the keys and sign the seller section of your car’s title. At pickup, you’ll hand the title to the tow truck driver and they’ll hand you a check for Copart’s offer amount.
What Happens To Your Car?
After you sell your car to Copart, the company will auction it to a variety of buyers across the country. It may end up getting fixed up and sold at another dealership or it could get parted out and recycled.
Selling Through Copart As A Business Or Dealership
Copart also lists vehicles for auction from businesses and car dealers. Dealerships may have overstock cars they need to move or may receive older cars on trade-in that they want to get rid of. In these cases, the dealer can list those cars for sale through Copart.
Here are a few other businesses that auction through Copart:
- Insurance companies that receive totaled vehicles from policyholders
- Banks that repossess cars after borrowers default on their loans
- Finance companies that repossess vehicles
- Charities that receive cars as donations
- Fleet operators who want to phase out old or damaged vehicles
One of Copart’s main competitors in the auction business is Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA), an online marketplace that focuses on buying and selling damaged cars and salvage vehicles.
Who Buys Copart Vehicles?
First-time buyers need to register either as a business or an individual who plans on buying multiple vehicles to participate in Copart auto auctions. Copart offers a free account and two levels of paid accounts: Basic and Pro. Basic account holders can bid on up to five vehicles at once after placing a deposit with the site and Pro users can bid up to $100,000 each day.
Copart members can include anyone from hobbyist mechanics to dealership owners who want to make money flipping cars. Copart holds different types of auctions including rental car auctions and repossessed vehicle auctions. If the buyer doesn’t live near the Copart location with the vehicle, they can arrange transport services through the site.
Does Copart Give Good Offers?
Copart gives decent offers for older cars, but don’t expect to get the market value of your vehicle. This is because Copart will resell your car for a profit.
For example, Copart offered $488 for a 2003 Honda Accord LX with 250,000 miles and no mechanical or cosmetic issues. Kelley Blue Book, on the other hand, gave us a trade-in value of $2,000 for the car. You wouldn’t get that amount selling to a company like Copart, of course, but it would be nice to get an offer closer to $1,000.
Below, you can see four offers we got from Copart for older vehicles with varying levels of damage.
| Vehicle | Condition | Copart Offer |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 Chevy Suburban C1500 | 250,000 miles, some body damage | $202.87 |
| 2003 Honda Accord LX | 250,000 miles, no body damage | $488.47 |
| 2007 Hyundai Sonata SE | 250,000 miles, some body damage | $380.66 |
| 2007 Hyundai Sonata SE | 250,000 miles, some body damage, starts but doesn’t drive | $328.13 |
Copart can also buy newer vehicles, but it doesn’t provide instant offers for them. If your car is too new for the quote system, you’ll receive a message saying, “Wow, that’s a nice car. Call us to get an offer.” You may find better offers from companies like Carmax or Cars.com if your car is within 10 years old and worth over $5,000 according to Kelley Blue Book.
Copart Customer Reviews
Copart has a 1.9-star rating from over 100 customers on the BBB and a 2.8-star rating from over 600 customers on Trustpilot. However, the vast majority of these reviews are about the buying process rather than the selling process.
A few customers have had issues with vehicle pickup, though. In one case, the tow truck missed the pickup and couldn’t come back for another couple of days. In another, the driver came early and took the vehicle without the customer’s title or keys. The customer then had to deal with the hassle of mailing the keys and waiting for the car payment by mail.
Conclusion: Is Copart Worth It?
Overall, we think Copart can be a good option due to its easy car-selling process and fast instant quotes online. The company offers plenty of services for auctions and direct selling through its website and licensed third parties. However, the quote you receive will most likely be lower than your vehicle’s trade-in value if you sell directly to the company. Even so, if you’re looking to sell your older vehicle, consider a quote from Copart as you shop around.
Best Car Buying Companies
What other car buying companies should be on your list? Our top picks also include Peddle, Cars.com, and CarMax.
- Peddle: Peddle is similar to Copart in that it buys older cars and even junk vehicles that no longer run. Peddle’s offers are slightly better than Copart’s in our experience, though each situation is unique.
- Cars.com: Cars.com is the best place to sell your car if it’s newer than a 2000 model year and has some life left. You can get an instant quote from your car’s VIN, your car’s make and model, or your license plate. You can also sell your car privately through the platform to try to make more money. Cars.com will pick up your vehicle to finalize the sale.
- CarMax: In our experience, CarMax tends to provide great offers for used cars. The only downside is that you need to bring your car to a physical CarMax location to finalize the sale. Other than that, the platform is easy to use and the process is fast.
Copart: FAQ
Can you sell cars to Copart?
Yes, Copart buys cars directly through its own website plus CopartDirect.com and CashForCars.com. You can get an instant offer online in just a few minutes and get a check in as little as a couple of days when Copart picks up your car.
Can someone pick up my car from Copart?
Yes, you can schedule a third-party transporter to pick up your car from Copart after you win an auction. You can do this through your Copart buyer member account.
Can I get my money back from Copart?
Deposits for buyer accounts are 100% refundable once you’ve paid all invoices for purchases. However, all sales are final, so you can’t return a car you bought through Copart.
How long can a car sit at Copart?
If you purchase a car from a Copart auction, the car can sit at Copart’s location free of charge for three days. After that, you’ll pay a fee that varies by location for each day the car stays at Copart.
How does Copart delivery work?
If you purchase a vehicle through Copart, you can get a quote for delivery through the payments due page on its website after you have won a bid for a vehicle. Delivery is available for most addresses. After putting in your information and paying for shipping, you will receive your car.
How much are Copart fees?
If you choose to sell your vehicle to Copart, the company doesn’t charge any fees. However, if you’re purchasing a vehicle from the company, you’ll pay a fee ranging from $25 to $1,200 or a flat percentage based on the final bid price. The fees you pay also vary depending on your payment method, how heavy your vehicle is, and whether your title is clean or not.
For a full list of Copart fees for purchasing a vehicle, check the Copart website for more information.
Does Copart charge fees for members?
Copart requires a membership to bid on vehicles on its website. Basic membership costs $99 per year and comes with limited buying power that can be increased with larger deposits. Its premium membership plan costs $249 annually with a one-time $400 deposit.
How We Rate Car Selling Platforms
Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of online platforms to sell your car. While there are multiple qualities that make a car-selling site successful, our review team focuses on those we’ve determined are the most important for consumers:
- Industry Reputation: We evaluate each platform’s reputation to ensure it’s a reliable place to sell your car. Companies that have been in business for several years and have a strong rating from the BBB score well in this category.
- Platform: Our team rates each online platform based on how easy it is to use and its available features. Those that provide instant offers and several sales options are more likely to meet customers’ needs.
- Cost: We performed a secret shopper analysis to see how each provider’s offering prices compared to competitors. Any additional fees companies charge to sell your car also factor into this rating.
- Transaction Support: The level of support offered by a car-selling platform can make the process much smoother for customers. From free pickup services to sending an in-person inspector to you, companies that offer greater transaction support receive higher scores in this category.
- Customer Experience: Our team takes a comprehensive look at customer reviews on sites like the BBB and Trustpilot to get a sense of each provider’s customer experience.
