Motorway trade sales: how a dealer actually buys

Motorway trade sales are purchases from private sellers, through Motorway's dealer platform, with a purchase fee on top. Motorway's own terms say it owns and operates the marketplace. At no point does Motorway offer the vehicles for sale itself, and it does not take title. The seller sells. You buy. Motorway charges you for the introduction.

This is the structure those pages publish, as at 7 October 2026. It is not a fee table. The table is the purchase fee schedule, and the public page that the terms name did not print one on the day this was checked.

How Motorway trade sales charge you

The price and the fee are different numbers.

You bid on the dealer platform. If the seller accepts, the terms say the purchase price is the winning bid, and that you shall buy the car. Within one working day of the confirmation you arrange collection, either with the seller or through Motorway Move. Payment of the purchase price, unless you are on Motorway Pay, is made during collection.

The purchase fee is what you pay Motorway. Unless you are enrolled for Motorway Pay, that fee is based on the winning bid, not on a later negotiated price. If you are on Motorway Pay, the fee is based on the final purchase price, because Motorway can see that price. The terms are explicit that the purchase fee does not include transport, Motorway Protect, or other Motorway services. Those are extra lines.

The schedule that sets the fee is defined as the pricing table at the dealer pricing address, or otherwise made available to you, and it can be updated. On 7 October 2026 that address showed how bidding and delivery are described. It did not show a table of fees by price. Use the schedule inside your account. This guide will not invent the bands. Motorway may change the calculation on written notice, and a change does not affect a bid you have already submitted.

If you cancel a winning bid, or you offer a purchase price below the winning bid, the terms say the purchase fee stays due on the winning bid. Read that before you treat a bid as a casual enquiry.

The public pages also describe proxy bidding. You set a maximum, and once the car hits reserve you pay one pound more than the next highest bid. That is their description of the auction mechanic. It is not the purchase fee. One pound over the other bidder can still sit underneath a purchase fee you have not added yet.

Signing up is described as free: a short registration, then they verify the dealership. Free access is not a free car.

Collection, transport, and the fee you still owe

You can collect the car yourself. The terms say you then update the seller, collect at a time that suits them, and inspect the car yourself. If someone else collects for you, the inspection is still your responsibility. You tell Motorway within one working day of collection. Payment to the seller happens at collection, unless Motorway Pay is moving the money.

Motorway Move is the managed collection. The dealer homepage, on 7 October 2026, said that transport starts at ninety-nine pounds, with an on-site appraisal. The terms say the Motorway Move terms govern the transport fees, the service levels and damage claims. Read those before you tick the box. The purchase fee is still separate.

There is a clock. If 30 days after the seller accepts your bid you have not collected, and you have not arranged Motorway Move, Motorway can invoice the purchase fee anyway. The same applies if you cancel. A car you have gone quiet on is not a free option. It can be a fee for a car you do not have.

Buying from the public without a marketplace is a different set of jobs, set out in how to buy cars direct from the public. You still inspect. You still settle any finance. Motorway's pages say they can handle documents, finance clearance and payment. That is their service. It does not remove your inspection at the door.

Dealer Auction fees are another shape: a subscription plus a transaction fee on the order. Motorway's shape is a purchase fee tied to the bid, plus transport if you ask for it. The hidden costs of buying at auction are the habit underneath both. The accepted price is not the amount that leaves the business.

If you would rather the seller come to you, get your buying site. You still pay for the car. You do not pay Motorway's purchase fee on top.

What to read before the first bid

Read four things, in this order.

The purchase fee schedule on your account, for the price band you are about to bid. Whether you are on Motorway Pay, because that changes which price the fee uses. Whether you will collect or use Motorway Move, and what Move costs for that journey. The 30-day point, and what a cancelled bid still costs.

Then bid to the number the car is worth to you after those lines. A maximum that ignores the purchase fee is a maximum you did not mean.

Seller-facing pages describe a service fee the seller pays Motorway, shown to them before they list. That fee is not your purchase fee. Do not subtract it from your bid and call the result a saving. Their commercial terms with the seller are not your invoice.

The terms also mention Motorway Trade, for a dealer selling a car through them. That route has its own eligibility, available on request, and the seller terms apply. It is not the purchase fee you pay when you are the buyer. If you both buy and sell on the platform, read both sets. One login can hide two different charges.

Prices and schedules move. This was read on 7 October 2026. Open the dealer terms and your schedule on the day you bid.

Get your buying site when the next private seller should send the registration before you travel. Motorway trade sales are a way to buy that stock through them. The fee is part of the price, even when the marketing page never prints it.

See what the fees come to on the auction cost calculator, or try the live demo.