What "Run & Drive" actually means at Copart and IAA
4 min read · Updated August 30, 2026
"Run & Drive" is the most misread label in salvage auctions. At both Copart and IAA it records a single observation made at vehicle check-in — weeks or months before your bid — and it promises nothing about the car you will actually collect.
What is verified
- Run & Drive — at intake, the engine started and the vehicle moved forward under its own power. That is the whole test. Brakes, transmission behavior past walking speed, electronics: unverified.
- Starts / Engine Starts — the engine ran; the car did not necessarily move. IAA shows this as its own badge.
- Stationary / no badge — the vehicle did not demonstrate either. Crucially, at IAA USA the absence of a badge is not a verified "does not start" — it is the absence of a verification.
Why it still matters
Statistically the badge is real signal: Run & Drive lots hammer measurably higher because the drivetrain — the most expensive guess in a salvage purchase — is somewhat de-risked. Our lot pages carry the run status as a colored chip (green / amber / red), and the archive lets you filter to runs-and-drives only, so you can compare what the badge is worth in dollars for the model you are watching.
How to use it
Treat Run & Drive as "the engine and drivetrain were alive at check-in", price the car as if everything else needs inspection, and remember that batteries die and fuel goes stale on the lot: a Run & Drive car that has sat for ninety days may need coaxing. The badge moves probability, not certainty.
Watch the market instead of refreshing it
SalvageAlert monitors Copart and IAA around the clock and alerts you the moment a lot matches your search — with full sale history, fee estimates and VIN specs on every lot.