Auto 1 Car Auctions

AUTO1.com is the dealer-only wholesale platform of AUTO1 Group SE, run from Bergmannstrasse 72 in Berlin, where AUTO1.com GmbH operates the website and AUTO1 Group Operations SE the auction platform. It calls itself Europe's largest wholesale platform for used cars: a cross-brand stock of over 30,000 inspected cars, more than 3,000 added daily, over 60,000 partner dealers in more than 30 European countries and around 860,000 cars sold in 2025. AUTO1 buys every car itself and resells it, so it stays your only contractual partner and single point of contact rather than a broker between two traders.

What you can buy

• Cross-brand stock: brands shown on the site include Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Renault, Peugeot, Toyota and Nissan - generally passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
• Dealer trade-ins: part-exchange and third-party-brand cars a dealer does not want in its own portfolio; AUTO1 calls this its biggest channel of private customer cars and says most sellers list trade-ins or ex-lease cars.
• Leasing and rental returns: ex-fleet vehicles remarketed by leasing and rental companies through the same platform.
• Manufacturer, bank and fleet stock: OEMs, banks and fleet providers are named among AUTO1's remarketing customers.
• Damaged cars: listed among the stock dealers move on; faults appear in the vehicle description, though the terms state that a damage listing is not an agreement on quality.

How buying works

Registration is free but commercial only: you upload your car dealer business registration and verification usually takes only a few hours. Approved accounts get the web platform and the AUTO1.com app for iOS and Android around the clock, with the site offered in 24 languages. The FAQ names four purchasing channels - Customer Auction, 24h Auction, Instant Purchase and Catalogue Auction. In the 24h auction every car is sold individually, there are no block auctions and bidding ends within a day; instant purchase lets you buy directly at any hour. A live bidding dashboard lets you bid on several cars at once, backed by a smart bid agent, watchlists and saved search requests. There is no subscription, no monthly membership fee and no minimum purchase quantity, and a dedicated account management team covers purchase, after-sales and logistics. Transport runs on a network of more than 300 logistics partners and 700+ locations, on the fastest or the cheapest route.

Selling into the same network

The platform runs both ways: AUTO1.com Remarketing sells for dealers, leasing and rental companies, OEMs, banks and fleet providers to those 60,000 buyers. Evaluate the car yourself in the AUTO1 EVA app in about 15 minutes, book a mobile evaluator, upload an existing inspection report or feed cars in over a REST API; you set a minimum price, the auction runs 24 hours, and AUTO1 buys the car, handles documents and export and pays by bank transfer once car and papers arrive.

What to check before you bid

Your bid is not the landed cost. The price list adds car handling of roughly EUR 180 to EUR 320 depending on where the car stands, document handling of EUR 79 to EUR 399 depending on country and on whether the deal is domestic or cross-border, and transport booked separately; all prices are net. The auction fee works the other way round: it is always included in your bid, ranges from EUR 0 to EUR 1,950 and is shown exactly on the order confirmation. Miss the collection deadline and AUTO1 claims standing costs of EUR 15 net per day and vehicle. On VAT, cars sold under differential taxation get no refund at all, and on an intra-community supply or export the refund follows only if you file the documents in time, against a handling fee of EUR 150 or EUR 250 net. Inspected is not warranted: claims for defects are excluded in dealer sales, VIN data comes from DAT with liability excluded, and the underbody is generally not inspected. Check the car at collection, record obvious defects on the consignment note and report anything else through the complaints tool within one working day.