Where to buy car parts online (and how to get the right one)
The same part can cost twice as much in one shop as in the next, and the cheapest listing is useless if it doesn't fit. Here's how to find the right part number first, and then compare shops without opening twenty tabs by hand.
1. Find the part number first
Searching by "brake pads + model + year" gives you a list of maybes. A part number gives you an exact match. Where to find it:
- On the old part. Pads, filters, sensors and belts usually have the number printed or stamped on them.
- On your last receipt, if you (or the garage) wrote it down. This is why a maintenance log with part numbers is worth keeping.
- From a parts shop's car selector: enter the car and engine, and note the OEM (original) number the shop lists.
- From a dealer's parts counter, with your VIN. They'll give you the OEM number even if you buy elsewhere.
An OEM number usually lets you find aftermarket equivalents too: most shops list "fits / replaces" numbers on each product.
2. Compare shops
Prices, stock and shipping change all the time, so there's no single cheapest shop. The shops below are the ones our part search covers. Type a part number once and you get a search link for every one of them:
Worldwide
Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping
Europe-wide
Alvadi
Germany
Amazon, ATP Autoteile, Autodoc, daparto, eBay
Estonia
Autodoc, Autokaubad24, Intercars24, Varuosamarket
Spain
Amazon, eBay, Recambioscoches
France
Amazon, eBay, Oscaro
United Kingdom
Amazon, Autodoc, eBay, Euro Car Parts
Italy
Amazon, eBay
United States
FCP Euro, RockAuto
3. Before you pay
- Check fitment twice. Same model, different engine or production year often means a different part. Brakes differ front and rear, and by disc size.
- Count shipping and tax. Ordering from a shop in another country can add customs duty and import tax on top of the price you saw.
- Know your return rights. They depend on where the shop is. In the EU and the UK, consumers buying online can usually return an item within 14 days; elsewhere it's often down to the shop's own policy. Fitted parts and electrical parts in opened packaging are often excluded, so read the terms before you order.
- Keep the receipt with the car's record, along with the part number. Next time it's a one-minute job.