How to Read a Condition Report

The condition report is the single most important document in vehicle transport, and most people sign it without reading it. It is the reference point for every damage conversation that follows.

What it records

• Every existing mark, scratch, dent, chip and scuff, located on a diagram
• Photographs of each, plus general shots from all angles
• Odometer reading
• Fuel level
• Wheel and tyre condition, including kerb rash
• Glass: chips and cracks in particular
• Anything present in or on the vehicle: roof racks, tow bars, accessories
• Date, time, location, and the driver’s name

How to actually check one

Five minutes, and do it in this order:

1. Walk the vehicle with the driver, do not stand back and watch. Two sets of eyes find more than one.
2. Crouch at each corner. Most existing damage on a used car is below waist height and invisible from standing.
3. Check the report matches what you can see. If a scratch on the rear quarter is not on the diagram, say so now.
4. Look at the wheels specifically. Kerb rash is the single most disputed item in this industry.
5. Take your own photographs as well. Ours are evidence; yours are independent.

At the other end

The same walk-around, against the collection photographs. You keep a copy from collection precisely so you can do this. Bring it, on your phone is fine.

Anything new goes on the delivery report in writing before you sign. That is the whole mechanism. Signing clean and ringing up two days later puts you in a much weaker position, and no amount of good faith on our side fully repairs that.

Who gets a copy

You do, at collection, on the spot. So does the driver, and so do we. If someone else is handing the vehicle over on your behalf — which is common and completely fine — make sure they send you the photographs the same day rather than a week later.