Bring a Trailer Fees vs Cars & Bids Fees: Complete Comparison (2026)
Auction fees can add thousands of dollars to a buyer's cost or reduce a seller's proceeds. The key input is the winning bid: the final accepted bid before buyer premiums, sales tax, shipping, registration, and other costs.
This comparison covers published standard fees for online vehicle auctions, with U.S. buyer terms where fees vary by location. It excludes taxes, optional services, promotions, race-car or non-vehicle categories, and lot-specific terms. Fees were verified against each platform's published policy on August 26, 2026.
Online Car Auction Fee Comparison
| Platform | Buyer's Premium | Seller Commission | Listing Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bring a Trailer | 5% ($250 min, $7,500 max) | None | $99 |
| Cars & Bids | 5% ($250 min, $7,500 max) | None | Free |
| eBay Motors | None | None for vehicles | $34 or $79 |
| PCARMARKET | 5% ($500 min, $7,500 max) | None for standard vehicles | $99 |
| Collecting Cars | 6% for a standard U.S. buyer ($1,000 min, $10,000 max on USD auctions) | None for standard auctions | Free |
| ACC Auctions | 5% ($5,000 max) | None | $99.99 |
| Hemmings Auctions | 5% ($500 min, $10,000 max) | None | $99.95 |
| Hagerty Marketplace | 7% ($500 min) | None for standard auctions | Free |
Bring a Trailer Fees
Bring a Trailer's published vehicle-auction fees are:
- Buyer's premium: 5% of the winning bid, with a $250 minimum and $7,500 maximum
- Seller listing fee: $99 for a Classic listing
- Seller commission: None for the standard Classic listing
Optional photography and White Glove services cost more, and non-vehicle categories can use different buyer premiums.
Example at a $75,000 winning bid: The buyer pays $78,750 before tax and other costs. The seller nets $74,901 after the standard listing fee.
Cars & Bids Fees
Cars & Bids charges the same standard vehicle buyer-premium rate, minimum, and cap as Bring a Trailer:
- Buyer's premium: 5% of the winning bid, with a $250 minimum and $7,500 maximum
- Seller listing fee: Free
- Seller commission: None
Example at a $75,000 winning bid: The buyer pays $78,750. The seller receives the $75,000 winning bid before any costs outside the platform.
The standard platform-fee difference between Cars & Bids and BaT is therefore the $99 BaT listing fee—not a lower Cars & Bids buyer premium.
eBay Motors Fees
eBay Motors' vehicle listing fee depends on the listing price:
- $34 when the listing price is $15,000 or less
- $79 when the listing price is above $15,000
- Buyer's premium: None
- Vehicle final value fee: None
For an auction listing, eBay uses the highest of the starting bid, reserve, or Buy It Now price to determine the fee tier. That means a calculator based on the winning bid can only estimate eBay's seller fee. Optional deposit processing also costs extra.
PCARMARKET Fees
PCARMARKET publishes a 5% buyer's premium with a $500 minimum and $7,500 maximum, plus a $99 standard vehicle listing fee. Standard road-vehicle sellers do not pay a success commission, but race-car terms differ.
Example at a $75,000 winning bid: The buyer pays $78,750 and the standard seller nets $74,901.
Collecting Cars Fees
Collecting Cars varies its buyer fee by buyer location. For a standard U.S. buyer in a USD-denominated car auction, the published fee is 6%, with a $1,000 minimum and $10,000 maximum. Standard seven-day auctions are free for sellers.
Buyers in the UK, Australia, and some European countries pay different tax-inclusive rates and minimums. Sealed bids, optional services, and withdrawal or breach charges can also differ.
Example for a U.S. buyer at a $75,000 winning bid: The buyer pays $79,500 before tax and other costs. The standard seller receives the $75,000 winning bid.
Other Online Auction Fees
- ACC Auctions: 5% buyer's premium with a $5,000 maximum; $99.99 listing fee and no seller premium
- Hemmings Auctions: 5% buyer's premium, $500 minimum and $10,000 maximum; $99.95 listing fee and no seller premium
- Hagerty Marketplace: standard 7% buyer's premium with a $500 minimum; standard auction listings are free
Which Platform Has the Lowest Fees?
For buyers: eBay Motors has no buyer's premium. Among curated auction platforms, the answer depends on the winning bid because rates, minimums, and caps differ.
For sellers: Cars & Bids, Collecting Cars, and standard Hagerty Marketplace auctions publish no standard seller fee. BaT and PCARMARKET each charge $99, Hemmings charges $99.95, and ACC Auctions charges $99.99.
For the whole transaction: eBay has the lowest standard platform fee in this comparison. But minimizing fees is not the same as maximizing seller proceeds. Audience fit, sell-through, presentation, and likely winning bid can outweigh a small listing-fee difference.
Why Live Auction Venues Are Compared Separately
Live and in-person auction houses often vary fees by event, vehicle category, bidding method, and negotiated consignment terms. Mixing those conditional rates into the online-auction calculator would create false precision. Use our separate live auction fee comparison to compare published U.S. buyer premiums by auction house and bid channel.
Use our auction fee calculator to estimate buyer total and seller net at your expected winning bid, then use Where to Sell to compare actual platform performance for your specific car.