Questions & answers
AutoHouseIQ FAQ
Straight answers about how AutoHouseIQ works, what it does and doesn't do, and how you stay protected.
- What is AutoHouseIQ?
- AutoHouseIQ is a consumer-to-dealer vehicle marketplace. You list your car once and verified dealers compete to buy it in a time-boxed auction. You set a reserve and choose whether to accept. It is a neutral technology platform and marketplace operator — it does not buy, sell or own vehicles — currently operating in the United States, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates.
- Is AutoHouseIQ a dealer?
- No. AutoHouseIQ is a neutral platform that connects private sellers with verified dealers. It is never the buyer or the seller of a vehicle.
- Does AutoHouseIQ buy cars?
- No. Verified dealers buy the cars. AutoHouseIQ verifies the dealers, documents each vehicle in a Vehicle Passport, and runs the marketplace where dealers compete.
- Who owns the vehicle during the process?
- You do, throughout. Nothing about ownership changes while dealers bid. Ownership only transfers if you accept a winning offer and complete the sale directly with the dealer.
- How are dealers verified?
- Dealers complete a business and licence check appropriate to their country and are reviewed by our team before they can bid. Unverified, restricted or suspended dealers cannot bid or count toward an auction.
- How does Beat My Offer work?
- If you already have an offer from a dealer or buying service, you can share it. If your vehicle is a fit and enough suitable verified dealers are active, they may have the opportunity to compete. This is indicative and subject to verification and dealer demand — AutoHouseIQ never promises to beat an offer.
- What is a Vehicle Passport?
- A structured record of your vehicle — its identity, ownership, condition and history — that lets dealers value it with confidence. Every field records where it came from, so an estimate is never presented as a verified fact.
- Is my information shared?
- Your contact details are not shared while dealers bid. They are only released to a dealer once you accept a winning offer and the transaction opens. AutoHouseIQ never sells your data.
- When do dealers receive my contact details?
- Only after you accept a winning offer and the transaction is opened — never before, and never to dealers who did not win.
- What countries are supported?
- AutoHouseIQ operates in the United States, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. It is in controlled beta, and markets open progressively as enough verified dealers are ready in each region.
- How are auctions started?
- An auction is scheduled once enough suitable verified dealers are ready to compete for a vehicle. Our team confirms a window with you first. Auctions are never started automatically just because a numeric threshold is met.
- What happens if nobody bids or the reserve isn't reached?
- There is no sale. You set the reserve, so you are never obliged to sell below it. If the reserve isn't reached, you can relist, adjust or talk through your options with our team.
- How does AutoHouseIQ make money?
- AutoHouseIQ charges a platform fee to the participating dealer on a successful transaction, as set out in its commercial terms. Sellers are always free — AutoHouseIQ never takes the sale proceeds.
- Is AutoHouseIQ legitimate?
- Yes. AutoHouseIQ is a real automotive marketplace operating in the United States, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates, currently in a controlled beta while it onboards founding sellers and verified dealers.