Used car parts in the UK typically sell for £20 to £400 (about $27 to $540). Car parts sell on the part number, not the description — and a few parts, airbags and pretensioners above all, are pyrotechnic and cannot go in the post at all.
What car parts are worth in the UK
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £400 | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £340 | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £260 | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £180 | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £100 | Not working or incomplete, sold as seen |
Guide ranges converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate, not quotes — sellers set their own price. Grades are seller-declared; WishThrift does not inspect or verify them.
What lifts the price
- Original manufacturer parts with part numbers
- Parts for common, high-volume vehicles
What pulls it down
- Worn or damaged components sold as serviceable
- Obsolete parts for vehicles no longer on the road
Selling car parts in the UK
Most private sales settle by bank transfer or cash on collection. Faster Payments clear in seconds, which makes a transfer as safe as cash for the seller — wait for it to land before the item leaves your hands.
The UK has the deepest second-hand habit of any of our markets — charity shops, car boot sales and online resale have been mainstream here for decades, so buyers arrive already comfortable with used goods and already know roughly what things are worth.
Distance selling rules bind traders, not private sellers, but an item must still be as described and anything sold as working must actually work.
Second-hand demand peaks in January, in the weeks before Christmas, and at the start of the academic year in September.
Working out what yours is worth
- Find and photograph the part number
- List every vehicle model and year it fits
Getting it ready
- Find the part number stamped or labelled on the component and photograph it. That number is the entire listing.
- Clean the part enough to be identifiable, and check whether it is a safety-critical or restricted component before you plan any postage.
Photograph
- The part whole, on a clean surface, from its most identifiable angle
- All mating faces, threads and connectors
- Any damage, corrosion, wear or missing fixing
Put in the description
- Part number and manufacturer
- Donor vehicle make, model, year, engine and mileage
- Whether genuine, OEM-equivalent or aftermarket
Part, vehicle, years and part number: “Alternator, [Make Model] 2.0 TDI 2012-2016, Part No. [number]”. The part number does more than any description because buyers search it directly. Say genuine, OEM or aftermarket, and give the donor vehicle’s mileage on wear items.
Weigh before quoting; parts are dense. Drain any fluid, and never post an airbag or pretensioner — they are classed as dangerous goods. Keep a record of the donor vehicle for anything safety related.
It costs nothing to list
There is no listing fee, no selling fee and no commission, so the £400 a buyer pays is the £400 you keep. You and the buyer settle up and arrange the handover between yourselves; WishThrift does not hold the money or ship the item.
Where in the UK
The United Kingdom is a big place and what sells well moves with it. These are the parts of the United Kingdom with their own page for car parts.
- Selling car parts in London
- Selling car parts in Birmingham
- Selling car parts in Leeds
- Selling car parts in Glasgow
- Selling car parts in Sheffield
- Selling car parts in Manchester
- Selling car parts in Edinburgh
- Selling car parts in Liverpool
- Selling car parts in Bristol
Common questions
Where can I sell car parts in the UK?
List it free on WishThrift and deal with the buyer direct. There is no selling fee, so the whole amount stays with you. Most private sales settle by bank transfer or cash on collection. Faster Payments clear in seconds, which makes a transfer as safe as cash for the seller — wait for it to land before the item leaves your hands.
Can you post it?
For most parts yes, weight permitting. Airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and anything containing fuel or oil are restricted or refused by carriers, so check before you agree.
How should I list car parts?
By part number first, then the vehicles it fits. Buyers search by part number, and a listing without one is much harder to find.
Should I include fixings?
Yes. Brackets and bolts are often vehicle-specific and their absence is a common cause of returns.
More: how to sell car parts, what car parts are worth, or Vehicles across the United Kingdom.