Each year, more than 9 million cars are sold through auctions as auction vehicles are available at economical prices. Online car auctions, such as A Better Bid (ABB) car auctions, can be the perfect option if you are a vehicle collector looking to buy for repair or upgrades. Explore a huge range of salvage cars for sale, vans and other US vehicles. You can find all types of vehicles on these platforms, from motorcycles and trucks to junk cars and boats.
However, finding the best option will require some research.
Essentially, Google ranks websites with the highest amount of web traffic at the top of the search results with websites that receive the least at the bottom of the search results. That said, the top-ranked websites may not have the vehicles you wish to buy. Therefore, this guide provides detailed insight into the best auction platforms by considering website traffic, platform variety, ease of use, and other factors. So, let’s get started!
High Ranking Car Auction Websites
You can visit these reputable and reliable car and vehicle auction sites to buy the next automobile in your collection.
1. A Better Bid
A Better Bid (ABB) is a Copart-registered online car auction that provides multiple types of vehicles at economical prices. ABB auctions receive approximately 105k visitors per month, as most auction participants highly trust the platform.
Since 2008, A Better Bid has connected people with their dream cars. ABB offers more than 300,000 auction cars for sale at affordable prices. Membership holders can also get vehicle history reports to learn about the car’s model, make, mileage, previous owners, and other critical information.
ABB holds live online auctions open to individual buyers; so, you don’t need a dealer’s license to participate in the car auction online. ABB’s mission is to simplify the buying process and allow personal buyers to invest in a vehicle at a low price.
Another advantage of purchasing a car from ABB is that you can complete the entire buying process from the comfort of your home. Simply log in to your account and participate in the live auction to place bids against other participants. Once you win a vehicle by placing the highest bid, you can arrange shipping through ABB to have the car delivered to you, they offer both domestic and international shipping.
2. Adesa
Adesa is a 24/7 marketplace with car auctions that gets around 124k visitors every month. Along with cars and motorcycles, it auctions RVs and boats as well. It allows members to bid in real-time alongside in-lane dealers. Adesa has a mobile app available on Apple Store and Google Play that contains the following features:
- Automobile search engine
- Price and other vehicle information
- Bidding in live sales
- Finalizing the bids and completing the purchase
- Personalized notifications of upcoming live sales
Adesa hosts separate auctions for car dealers and the general population. Car dealers have the facility to take part in on-site auctions and purchase licensed and registered cars. Unfortunately, dealer auctions are not available for individual buyers, so you will have limited inventory to choose from at Adesa.
3. Skipco
Skipco is one of the oldest public auto auction companies. It has been selling vehicles on the national and international levels since 1978. On average, the site receives 14.9k web visitors per month. Skipco hosts weekly online auctions open to dealers and individual buyers, but one day of the weekend is reserved for dealer-only vehicle auctions.
Each automobile is rated on the vehicle grading scale, where 0 represents the poorest and 5 illustrates the best condition. To bid on Skipco, you must place a $200 insurance deposit. If you win the bid and don’t pay the total price in a certain timeframe, you will be charged a $25 late fee.
4. Cars and Bids
Cars and bids is an online auction place that sells vintage and modern cars. From the early 1980s to 2022, all vehicle makes and models are available on this platform. Due to this reason, the site gets an average of 515k visitors in a month. Anyone can list their car on Cars and Bids to be placed in the auction without paying an additional fee. However, buyers need to pay 4.5% of the bought car as a buyer’s fee. This amount can be anything from $225 to $4,500.
How to Find the Right Auction Platform?
If you are still having trouble deciding which auction platform is the right fit, use these tips to select the right auction site.
Explore The Website
You can visit each auction’s website before finalizing your choice. You can learn more about their car auction to decide whether they have the right variety of vehicles or not. It will also help you determine if there are any fees that you need to pay before and after the bid.
Look Through Their Inventory
Once you are on the website, go through the vehicle inventory. As online auto auction sites cater to a huge clientele, they must offer vehicles from diverse automotive companies. This way, you can buy a good car at an economical price even if someone outbids the vehicle you want. Fortunately, A Better Bid (ABB) provides 300,000+ vehicles for sale from various manufacturers. You can buy cars, trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, and other types of automobiles on ABB.
Read Reviews
Online reviews are a guide from previous customers to inform you whether the online auction is dependable or not.
Compare Rates
To stay within your budget, compare vehicle rates across multiple auto auction websites. You will find out if you are paying more than the average price for a car. Instead of solely focusing on the car model, check the vehicle history report to see the final car condition. The same car model on one site can have less damage or mileage, which is why it may cost more than it does on the other site.
Wrapping Up
Online auto auctions are an economical and convenient way to purchase new and old car models. It allows individual buyers to place bids and buy cars at a price usually reserved only for car dealers. However, check the car auction site traffic, inventory, reviews, and price rates before placing a bid to ensure you buy a vehicle in good condition. Also, ensure that the auction company offers doorstep delivery to save time and hassle. ABB provides this service, along with other benefits, making it one of the best car auction platforms online.