The platforms at a glance
Octane
Online auction for enthusiast cars
Western Europe: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland
Buyer’s fee3%, min €350, max €3,600, incl. VAT
Collecting Cars
Online auction for enthusiast cars
International, with a clear focus on the United Kingdom and Australia
Buyer’s fee6%, min €1,000, max €7,000, VAT varies
Car & Classic
Online marketplace for classic and special vehicles with listings, a separate auction product and Make an Offer
International with British roots; auctions for cars across Europe, in pounds or euros, with local sites for the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy among others
Buyer’s feeSet per car, max €5,000, incl. VAT
Bring a Trailer
American online auction platform and enthusiast community for classic, collector and enthusiast vehicles
International from the United States, with cars from anywhere in the world, the Netherlands included. Cars in the EU are auctioned in euros, in the United Kingdom in pounds, elsewhere in dollars. More than 750,000 registered bidders according to BaT, which does not publish how many of them live in Europe
Buyer’s fee5%, min €250, max €7,500, excl. VAT
Catawiki
Generalist online auction platform with weekly auctions in many categories; classic and collector cars are one of them
Worldwide: according to Catawiki active in more than 60 countries and 17 languages
Buyer’s fee9% + €3, no maximum, incl. VAT
Classic Trader
International online marketplace for classic vehicles: classified listings and, since July 2024, online auctions. Also fixed-price and make-an-offer sales
International, from Berlin: by Classic Trader’s account, listings from more than 35 countries and buyers worldwide, with the site in ten language and country versions. Not available in the United States; an auction usually runs in the seller’s currency
Buyer’s fee8.5%, min €500, no maximum, incl. VAT
The Collectables
Online auction platform for enthusiast cars and motorcycles, alongside a fixed-price offering (Direct te koop)
The Netherlands: the car must be located in the Netherlands (just across the border by arrangement). Promotion national and international
Buyer’s fee10%, min €300, no maximum, incl. VAT
Route 66 Auctions
Online auction for classics, youngtimers, sports cars and motorcycles; lots close during a weekly Thursday-evening public auction in Waalwijk, led by an auctioneer, where bids can also be placed in the room
International: the cars are with sellers across Europe, on 2 October 2026 in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium and Austria among others. Route 66 cites more than 150,000 users and speaks of buyers worldwide. Bidding and payment in euros. The site comes in eleven languages; English is the original, the other versions are machine-translated
Buyer’s fee9%, min €950, max €20,000, excl. VAT
Classic Car Auctions
Auction house with monthly online auctions; the cars are physically at the auction site, with viewing and collection days
The Netherlands: fixed locations in Uithoorn, Breedenbroek and Eibergen; site in four languages and, according to CCA, an international network of buyers
Buyer’s fee12.5%, no maximum, excl. VAT
Automotive Auctions
Auction intermediary with physical intake and showrooms; the cars are shown on its own site, the bidding runs through external auction platforms (Bright Auctions or Troostwijk)
The Netherlands: locations in Milsbeek and Tiel; according to Automotive Auctions, buyers in more than 50 countries
Buyer’s fee12.5%, no maximum, excl. VAT
What you pay on top of the winning bid
| Platform | Buyer’s fee | €25kOn €25,000 | €50kOn €50,000 | €100kOn €100,000 | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octane | 3%, min €350, max €3,600, incl. VAT | €750 | €1,500 | €3,000 | Our own rate |
| Bring a Trailer |
How to choose between them
Start with the car rather than the platform. The best platform for a given car is the one where the right bidders are already looking, at a fee that leaves room in your budget.
- Where the car is. On online platforms such as Collecting Cars, Car & Classic and Octane the car stays with the seller until the sale, so you arrange a viewing or an inspection yourself. Dutch auction houses such as Classic Car Auctions keep the cars at their own site, with viewing days.
- The total, not the bid. Add the buyer’s fee, transport and the cost of registering the car in your country. A car located outside the EU, the United Kingdom included, can also bring import duty and VAT.
- The fee at your price. A low percentage with a high minimum can cost more on a cheaper car; a cap matters on an expensive one. The table above shows where each one lands.
- Who you deal with after the sale. Some platforms handle the payment for the car, others put you in touch with the seller to complete it. Read how each one does it before you bid.
Buying on Octane
Octane is an online auction for enthusiast cars from sellers in Western Europe: sports cars and supercars, youngtimers and classics, JDM and modern performance cars. It was built for this kind of car, with a buyer’s fee that stays low at every price.
- Buyer’s fee: 3% of the winning bid, including VAT, minimum €350, maximum €3,600. Your bid, the fee and the total are shown before you confirm.
- Seven-day auctions. Every listing is written by Octane from the seller’s information and photos. Ask questions in the comments under the auction; the seller answers them there, for every bidder to read.
- Bidding. Bid with a credit card, on which a temporary hold covers your bids, or verify your identity and pay the fee by iDEAL, Bancontact or card if you win. A bid in the last five minutes gives everyone five more minutes.
- Reserve price. A car can have a confidential reserve price, agreed between the seller and Octane. Once it is met, the highest bidder buys the car.
Before you bid: what to check
An online auction is as safe as the checks you do before your bid is final. The same list works on every platform.
- Read the listing and the comments in full. Questions other bidders asked, and how the seller answered, often say more than the photos.
- Ask for what is missing: the service history, the registration documents, photos of a specific area, a cold-start video.
- Have the car inspected if you cannot see it yourself. A specialist for the make costs little next to the price of the car.
- Check the paperwork against the car: the VIN, the registration, the odometer reading and any import history. For a Dutch registration, the RDW’s public vehicle check shows the odometer judgement and the registration dates.
- Fix your maximum, including all costs, before the last minutes of the auction, and bid only what you would be happy to pay.
Recent Auctions
Frequently Asked Questions
Of the enthusiast-car auctions that publish their rate, Octane charges buyers the least on any car above about €7,000: 3% of the winning bid including VAT, with a minimum of €350 and a maximum of €3,600. Bring a Trailer charges 5% plus VAT on cars in the EU (maximum €7,500), Collecting Cars 6% for buyers outside the UK and Australia (maximum €7,000), and the Dutch auction houses 9% to 12.5% plus VAT, or more. Below about €7,000, Bring a Trailer’s €250 minimum can come out lower than Octane’s €350.
Yes. Collecting Cars, Car & Classic, Classic Trader and Octane all run timed online auctions with a public comment section, as Bring a Trailer does. Bring a Trailer itself also auctions cars located in the EU, in euros. Our guide to Bring a Trailer in Europe compares them for buyers.
Yes. Octane, the Dutch auction houses and the international platforms all accept bidders from other European countries. Within the EU a used car moves without customs; you register it in your own country, which includes that country’s registration tax where it has one. Factor in transport, and check whether the listing mentions BPM or VAT. On Octane, ask in the comments or ask us to put you in touch with a transport specialist.
It can be, if you treat it like any private car purchase: read the listing and comments, ask for documents, have the car inspected or see it yourself, check the paperwork against the car, and pay through the route the platform describes. On Octane, every bidder is checked by a card hold or an ID check before bidding, the fee is shown before you confirm a bid, and buyer and seller get each other’s details in a private chat after the auction.
On most platforms, yes. Octane’s 3% already includes VAT. Several others publish their fee excluding VAT and add it on top, which is why the fee table above shows amounts including VAT where the rate is published.
More for buyers
Is there a European Bring a Trailer?
Bring a Trailer auctions cars located in the EU, but its audience is centred on the United States. The European platforms that work the same way, with curated listings, comments and week-long auctions, compared for buyers: Collecting Cars, Car & Classic, Classic Trader and Octane.
How buying on Octane works
Bidding, the buyer’s fee, the card hold and what happens after you win, step by step.
See what is on auction now
Seven-day auctions of enthusiast cars from sellers in Western Europe, with a buyer’s fee of 3% including VAT, capped at €3,600.
