Buying Category U Vehicles
Information for Used Buyers
What does CAT U mean?
A Category U vehicle is a car, van, truck or indeed any other mechanically propelled vehicle which has not been categorised as a write-off. This can mean that the vehicle has little to no damage, usually needing minimal work to be returned to the road. Copart has a wide range of used vehicles, which are available to buy in our auctions. Use the button below to register to bid on and buy used Copart vehicles.
Reasons To Buy a Used Vehicle
Copart is committed to providing an excellent auction experience to our Members.
If you are a vehicle dealer and are looking for an opportunity to get hold of used vehicles to sell on to your customers, Copart may be the perfect place to do this.
It is a common misconception that Copart only sells damaged repairable, salvage, breaker and stolen recovered vehicles, but in-fact, we have a huge selection of used vehicles too.
Are Used vehicles damaged?
Typically, used unrecorded vehicles have no damage beyond normal wear and tear. Some may have dents, scratches and/or other bodywork damage. Others could have mechanical or electrical issues. Some CAT Us can have severe damage, as explained below.
So they aren't salvage vehicles?
Short answer, no. When salvage vehicles, like CAT N and S vehicles, are repaired and returned to the road, that vehicle remains in its salvage category for the remainder of that vehicle's life, no matter how well it is repaired, but Used vehicles are uncategorised, and will not carry the same marker.
Damaged CAT Us
When browsing through CAT U vehicles on the Copart website, you may come across some Lots which appear to be damaged, sometimes severely. These vehicles may look like they should be Category N or S vehicles.
The reason for this is usually because the vehicle was damaged, but no claim was made to an insurer. This could be because the vehicle was off the road with a SORN certificate, or because the driver of the vehicle was uninsured.
A third reason would be because the vehicle is deemed to be a Vehicle of Special Interest (VSI). This tends to apply to high-value vehicles like Supercars and Collector's vehicles, where the cost of restoring it is of little relevance.
Copart always advises visiting our Operations Centres to view any vehicle before purchase.
How to buy Used Vehicles
You need to register as a Member to buy any Copart vehicle, and this includes Category U vehicles. To do this, you must first sign up on our website. After this, Copart will need some documentation and Membership fee. These can be found on our how to register with Copart section of our site. Once this has cleared you'll be free to bid on and buy any CAT S, CAT N, CAT U and CAT X vehicles on our site. Restrictions to CAT Bs apply.
Do I need licences to buy CAT Us?
Unlike Category B, buyers of Used vehicles do not need any special documentation. As long as you are an active Copart Member, you are welcome to bid on and buy any Used vehicle on the Copart website.
Where do Category Us Come From?
As mentioned, it is a common misconception that Copart only sells write-offs from insurance companies, but in fact, we have various sources of used vehicles, some are listed below.
Trade Sellers - As Copart has a wide and engaged Member base, many vehicle dealers sell their vehicles through our auction platform. If you have a vehicle to sell through our excellent and competitive auction, talk to our sales team today!
Direct Purchase Some vehicle owners sell their vehicles directly to Copart and they will be sold in a Copart auction. Find out how much your vehicle is worth by getting an online quote from our sister company, CarConverter.
Ex-Fleet/Lease - Providers of fleet and lease services will usually have rules that their vehicles will be taken out of service once they reach a certain age or mileage level. These vehicles are usually well looked after and have may have been subject to manufacturers service guidelines.
Uncategorisable Lots - Some vehicles are not registered with the DVLA. Examples of these could be trailers, plant machinery and shipping containers. Copart still sells these types of vehicles.
Plant and Agri Lots
Road legal plant and agricultural Lots, such as diggers, tractors and telescopic handlers will be categorised in the same way as any other vehicle. However, Lots which are not road legal, or are not vehicles at all, such as the aforementioned shipping containers, wood chippers and the like will not be categorised.
To view our full plant and agricultural stock, click on the link below.
View CAT U Vehicles
Copart has over 1000 Category U Vehicles in stock at any one time, view our full inventory below.
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