We're not another factory-spec auction site. Petrol Head Motor Co. is an auto and collectible auction platform built around a community of serious enthusiasts and collectors. Here you can find out about our process and what makes us different: how buying works, how selling works, the fees, and what we do if something goes wrong.
For buyers
Free account, no fees to bid. Add a payment method once and you are ready to bid on any auction.
Each bid is binding. When you bid, Stripe authorizes a hold on your card for the buyer’s premium only - never the auction amount itself. The hold is released as soon as you are outbid.
If you win, the buyer’s premium hold is captured and you settle the auction price directly with the seller.
For sellers
Photos, condition notes, service history, and any known flaws. Honest details get more bids than glossy ones.
Our team reviews every submission for accuracy and completeness before it goes live.
A 7-day timed auction. You can answer buyer questions in the public Q&A. Any bid placed in the final 2 minutes extends the auction by 2 minutes.
After the auction ends, you coordinate payment for the auction amount and handover with the winning bidder.
Winning buyers pay a percentage on top of the winning bid as the platform fee. The exact rate, minimum, and maximum are shown before every bid is placed - the same numbers everywhere, calculated from a single source.
Sellers can set a reserve price. Buyers will only know if the auction has a reserve or is no-reserve, not the value of the reserve. If the highest bid does not meet the reserve, the seller is not obligated to sell, and the buyer is not obligated to buy. No-reserve auctions sell to the highest bidder regardless of final price.
Any bid placed in the final 2 minutes resets the clock to 2 minutes. This keeps last-second bidding fair without dragging out auctions.
Where applicable, the listing fee is quoted up-front before submission and is independent of the buyer’s premium.
The buyer’s premium is processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number. When you place a bid, Stripe authorizes a hold on your card for the buyer’s premium amount only - not the bid amount, and not the auction price.
If you are outbid, the hold is released automatically. If you win, the buyer’s premium is finalized by Stripe and the auction price is settled directly between you and the seller.
Each vehicle listing displays its title status - Clean, Salvage, Rebuilt, Flood, Lemon, Export Only, or Parts Only - so buyers know what they are bidding on before they commit.
Sellers are responsible for accurate title disclosure. Title transfer happens directly between buyer and seller after the auction. Ownership documentation is best sent via secure, signed mail. Reach out if you need help coordinating paperwork on a specific transaction.
Sellers are identity-verified before they can list, and every listing is reviewed by our team before going live. The buyer’s premium runs through Stripe, so buyers do not have to send platform fees to a stranger.
If a vehicle is materially different from its listing, contact us and we will help mediate. Persistent fraud or misrepresentation results in account suspension.
Need to report a problem? Contact us.
Browse current auctions or list a vehicle of your own.