A car auction is an auction of cars, bikes, bakkies, commercial trucks, fleet vehicles and privately owned cars. Like other auctions, a car auction can be an excellent place to pick up decent products at a fair price, for savvy buyers. People who are interested in attending car auctions can usually find them listed in newspapers and magazines. Online motor vehicle  auctioneers also regularly list vehicles for people to bid on, and occasionally property comes up in auctions of bank repossessed cars and cars from owners of deceased estates. A Car dealer auction is a specialized form of auction.

Millions of vehicles are sold at car dealer auctions every year. These auctions are restricted for the general public and only licensed dealers can participate. Prices of vehicles sold at dealer auctions tend to be lower than those advertised on any dealer’s lot. Sellers forgo a potentially higher sticker price to take their inventory to a dealer auction where it will be auctioned off for thousands less than retail for a number of reasons.