Car Raffles in the UK, From Online Draws to Charity Car Raffles
“Car raffle” covers two quite different things in the UK. Most of the time it means an online car competition, where you buy numbered tickets and a winner is drawn, often live. The rest of the time it means a charity car raffle, a licensed lottery where part of every ticket goes to a good cause. Both can be legitimate, but they work under different rules, give different odds and return different amounts to players. This page lists live draws of both kinds and explains what to check before you buy a ticket.
Two kinds of car raffle
Online car raffles | Charity car raffles | |
|---|---|---|
What they legally are | Prize competitions, using a skill question or free entry route | Society lotteries, run by or for a charity or good cause |
Who runs them | Commercial competition companies | Charities, community foundations, clubs and their licensed partners |
Free entry route | Required, usually by post | Not required, because they’re licensed lotteries |
Where your money goes | Covers the prize, costs and the operator’s profit | At least 20% must go to the good cause, by law |
How often | Daily, with dozens live at once | A few times a year, often annual |
Typical ticket price | From a few pence to around £5 | Often £1 to £5 |
Cash alternative | Usually offered | Varies, often car only |
Who regulates them | Not licensed as gambling; voluntary DCMS code for prize draws | Local authority registration or a Gambling Commission licence, depending on size |
Live online car raffles
Every online car raffle here publishes its maximum number of tickets, so you can see your chance before you buy rather than working it out afterwards. You can also browse every type of draw on our main competitions page.
Charity car raffles
Charity car raffles are among the oldest ways to win a car in Britain, and they’re still going strong. Rotary clubs, hospices, community foundations and shopping centres run them, often annually, with a single car as the top prize and smaller runner-up prizes. Milton Keynes Community Foundation’s charity car draw, for example, offered a brand-new electric car for £1 a ticket and let buyers choose a local organisation to receive 50p from every ticket.
These are society lotteries rather than competitions. Smaller ones must be registered with the local council, and larger ones need a licence from the Gambling Commission. By law, at least 20% of the money raised has to go to the good cause. That means your odds-to-cost ratio is usually worse than at an online raffle site, but part of your money does some good either way. Check that the organiser displays its licence or registration details before you buy.
What “raffle” actually means in UK law
Strictly speaking, most online car raffles aren’t raffles. In UK law a raffle is a type of lottery, and lotteries can only be run by a few kinds of organisation, mainly charities and societies operating under licence, plus the National Lottery.
Online car raffle companies get around this by running prize competitions instead. They either include a question that tests skill, judgement or knowledge, or offer a free way to enter, usually by post, so that paying isn’t required. That’s why almost every online car raffle has a skill question or a postal entry option tucked into its terms. The word “raffle” has simply stuck because it describes what entrants see: numbered tickets and a random draw.
This matters for you in two ways. Online car raffles aren’t licensed gambling, so they don’t carry the same player protections as a bookmaker, although many operators have signed the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s voluntary code of practice. And because a free entry route is part of how they stay legal, you can always enter without paying. Our guide to whether car competitions are legal goes into more detail, and the free entry route explained guide shows how to use it.
Reading a car raffle listing
Every listing on a raffle site carries the same handful of details. Here’s what each one tells you and what to look out for.
Ticket price. The least important number on the page, despite being the biggest. A cheap ticket in a huge draw is usually worse value than a pricier ticket in a small one.
Maximum tickets. The number that sets your odds. If a listing doesn’t show it, you can’t work out your chance and we won’t list it.
Tickets sold. A progress bar or percentage. It shows demand but not your odds, unless the draw closes before selling out.
Closing date and “guaranteed draw”. Look for a fixed date that won’t be extended if tickets don’t sell. Our guide to guaranteed vs extended draws explains why this matters.
Live draw. Many raffle sites stream the draw on Facebook or YouTube using a random number generator. It’s a good transparency signal, covered in our live draws explained guide.
Cash alternative. Often lower than the car’s value but paid quickly. Compare raffles on this figure if you’d take the money.
Skill question. Usually simple multiple choice. Get it wrong and your entry may not count, with no refund.
Is a car raffle worth it? The honest maths
The quickest way to judge a car raffle is to compare what’s being given away with what the operator takes in. Here’s a simple made-up example.
A raffle sells 20,000 tickets at £2 each, taking £40,000 if it sells out. The cash alternative is £30,000. On average, every £1 spent returns 75p in prize value, and the rest covers the operator’s costs and profit. Some raffles return more than that and some far less, depending on ticket numbers and prize value. Charity car raffles typically return less to players, because at least a fifth of the money must go to the cause.
That figure isn’t a prediction of what you’ll get back, because nearly everyone wins nothing and one person wins everything. But it tells you how generous a raffle is compared with another, and it’s a useful counterweight to the excitement of a countdown timer. Our guide to car competition odds explained has more worked examples.
The best-known car raffle sites
Most people searching for car raffles have heard of a few big names. BOTB has run car competitions since 1999, though its main Dream Car draw is decided by a Spot the Ball skill game rather than a random raffle. Dream Car Giveaways and 7days Performance run frequent random-draw car raffles with live-streamed results, and Rafflee, operated by Flutter Entertainment, has added car raffles to its range. Alongside them sit hundreds of smaller raffle sites, which often run smaller draws with better odds but less of a track record. You’ll find our reviews of individual sites as they’re published.
Classic car raffles
Classic cars have their own corner of the raffle world, from restored Minis and Land Rovers to air-cooled Porsches and Jaguar E-types. Some are run by specialist restorers, and others by car clubs and charities. Classic prizes vary far more than modern ones, so look for photos of the car’s condition, a description of any restoration work and its MOT and history before entering.
Thinking of raffling your own car?
It’s a common question, but it’s rarely as simple as it sounds. An individual selling raffle tickets for their own car is usually running an unlicensed lottery, which isn’t allowed. Turning it into a lawful prize competition means adding a genuine skill element or a proper free entry route, publishing terms and handling entries correctly. If you’re considering it, take legal advice first.
How we choose which car raffles to list
We’re an independent comparison site. We don’t run raffles or sell tickets, and we may earn a commission when you enter an online car raffle through our links, which never affects which ones we include or their order. Charity car raffles are listed whether or not we earn anything from them.
Online car raffles are checked for an 18+ restriction, a published ticket cap and closing date, a clear free entry route, a stated cash alternative and a transparent draw method, and we note whether the operator has signed the DCMS code. Charity car raffles are checked for a visible licence or local authority registration and a named good cause. The full process is in our methodology, and you can see recent results on our winners page.
Before you buy a raffle ticket
Car raffles are a long shot, whichever kind you enter. Set a budget before browsing, don’t buy extra tickets because a draw is nearly sold out, and remember online raffles always have a free entry route. If a raffle appears on social media and asks you to pay a fee to claim a prize, it isn’t genuine; our guide on whether car competitions are legit explains the warning signs. If entering has stopped being fun, the National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133.
Car raffle questions
Are car raffles legal in the UK?
Yes, when run properly. Online car raffles operate as prize competitions with a skill question or free entry route, and charity car raffles run as licensed or registered society lotteries.
What’s the difference between a car raffle and a car competition?
In everyday use, nothing: most online “car raffles” are legally prize competitions. A true raffle is a lottery, which in the UK usually means a charity or society draw.
What are the best car raffle sites in the UK?
That depends on what you value. Larger sites offer more choice and longer track records, while smaller ones often run draws with better odds. Compare ticket caps, cash alternatives and whether draws are guaranteed.
Can I enter a car raffle for free?
Online car raffles must offer a free entry route, usually by post. Charity car raffles don’t have to, because they’re licensed lotteries.
Is BOTB a car raffle?
Not strictly. BOTB’s main Dream Car competition is a Spot the Ball game where the closest entry wins, although it also runs other competitions with random draws.
Do charity car raffles have better odds?
Not necessarily. They can sell large numbers of tickets, and at least 20% of the money goes to the cause, so the prize value per pound is often lower. You’re partly paying to support the charity.
Can I raffle my own car in the UK?
Not as a simple raffle. An individual selling tickets for their own car is usually running an unlicensed lottery. Take legal advice before trying to run any kind of car prize draw.
Last updated: October 2026. Raffle details change daily, so always confirm the terms on the organiser’s site before entering.