IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions)
Major US salvage auction house, the second-largest after Copart; owned by Ritchie Bros.
IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) is the second-largest salvage vehicle auction operator in the United States, behind Copart. Founded in 1982 and acquired by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in 2023, IAA operates around 200 physical yards across the US and Canada and runs an online live-streamed bidding platform that handles roughly 2.5 million vehicle sales per year.
Like Copart, IAA’s inventory is dominated by insurance-company total-loss liquidations, with smaller streams from fleet operators, bank repossessions and dealer trade-ins. Vehicles typically carry salvage or branded titles, and the auction provides standardised damage descriptions, run-and-drive status, primary and secondary damage codes, photos and a starting bid.
Bidder access splits into a public tier (lower-value or non-titled vehicles, open to anyone over 18 with a deposit) and a dealer tier (full inventory, requires a US dealer licence or registered broker). IAA’s buyer fee structure is broadly comparable to Copart’s, though specific tier thresholds and fee caps differ.