The best car boot sales in London

Held in the playground of a primary school sandwiched between Dalston and Stoke Newington, Princess May Car Boot is known for chic secondhand gear. In fact, the area’s stylists are known to both sell their old kit here and swoop in to stock up on the best vintage bargains. So get down there pronto – the early bird gets the vintage Fendi baguette bag.

Every Saturday and Sunday, 7.30am-2pm. Buyers £1 entry, £5 before 9am.

If you love getting a good deal but hate getting up at the crack of dawn for it, you’re in luck. Battersea Car Boot is one of the biggest in the city and opens its doors at lunchtime. So whether you’re buying or selling, you’ll still get your weekend lie-in.

Every Sunday, 1.30pm-5pm. Buyers £1 entry from 1.30pm.

If you’re looking for an old-school car boot, Denham is your go-to. You can find a diverse range of used goods here, from bric-à-brac to clothing and tech. Wanna sell not buy? At Denham you can rock up without booking a pitch. No wonder the huge site attracts thousands of sellers each week.

Every Saturday, 8am-2.30pm. Buyers £3 entry before 10am, £2 from 10am until noon, £1 from noon onwards.

Come rain or shine, the Capital Carboot in Pimlico is a-go-go. The stalls are hit and miss depending on the sellers of the day, but that’s all part of the car booty challenge. You’ll usually find indoor and outdoor pitches crammed with books, clothing, ceramics, jewellery and bikes and, if you want first choice, you can pay £7 for entry from 10:30am-11am, which is the early bird slot that needs to be booked online in advance. After that, it’s £5 entry from 11am-11:30. Prefer a lie-in? It’s £1 from 11:30am-2:30pm. Sure, there’s a risk that the good stuff will have gone but on the upside, there’s time to spend those extra pounds on a bacon butty beforehand. 

Every Sunday, 10am-2:30pm. Buyers £7 earlybird before 11am (must be booked online by 7am), £5 entry from 11am-11.30am, £1 from 11.30am onwards.

Held fortnightly in the expansive playgrounds of Peckham’s Harris Academy, this car boot offers a great mixture of traders, old-school bric-a-brac sellers peddling their wares alongside Depop girlies and streetwear bros selling y2k accessories, mid-century furniture and second-hand APC ‘pieces’. There might not be any loos on-site, but you can get a decent coffee or bite to eat. A lot of the traders here even take card. How very modern.

Every other Sunday, 10am-2pm​. Buyers £7 earlybird before 10.30am (cash only), £5 entry from 10.30am-11am, £1 from 11am onwards.

You won’t find tat being flogged out the back of a battered old Ford Fiesta at this seriously classy car boot. Held thrice annually at Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, this one  features a lovely curated selection of traders peddling top notch vintage fashion, homewares and collectibles out of a fabulous collection of rare classic vehicles. You can also expect mobile bars and eateries dotted around the cars and campervans, plus DJs spinning vintage vinyl to soundtrack your browsing. Be sure to check the website for updates on the next event.

Three weekends a year, 10am to 6pm. Buyers £6 in advance, £7 on the door. 

One of London's most famous car boots, this sale has been growing rapidly since starting out in 1996 and now attracts a trendy crowd of Portobello passers by and traders looking for hot bargains. More reminiscent of a flea market than a car boot, a recent rummage around this sale provided us with a vintage bird cage, a pristine violin and nearly new Cath Kidston crockery. According to her best pal Henry Holland, Agyness Deyn used to shop at this sale for clothes, and there's definitely some quirky finds to be had if you're willing to root around for them. If that doesn’t wear you out, St Mary’s car boot sale is within walking distance for double the fun.

Everyday Saturday, 7.30am-2pm. Buyers £1 entry, £5 before 10.30am.