Pre-purchase vehicle inspection

The cost of a pre-purchase vehicle inspection will start from either £189 or £229 – depending on the level you choose. Your inspection will be promptly carried out by a professional vehicle inspector, and you’ll receive a detailed photographic report about the car.

A pre-purchase vehicle report is based on the expertise and opinion of the inspector at the time the inspection is carried out. Since we cannot control what happens to the vehicle after the report is completed, an inspection does not come with a guarantee.

At Car.co.uk, we can provide pre-purchase inspections for imported vehicles. However, it’s important that you let us know if the vehicle is imported when you book – as this gives our inspector time to prepare accordingly.

At Car.co.uk, our vehicle inspection partner offers inspections throughout mainland UK, and can usually complete your inspection within 2-3 working days.

A vehicle inspection report is a document created when an independent professional carries out an inspection on a pre-owned car. The report tells you everything you need to know about the condition of the vehicle and any hidden issues it might have.

The cost of a vehicle inspection through Car.co.uk starts at £189. When you consider that around 50% of pre-owned vehicles currently for sale have some undeclared damage or negative history, this is a small price to pay to know you’re buying an honest car.

At Car.co.uk, there is no maximum age for Premium Plus vehicle inspections. However, we have a 10-year age limit for our Premium inspection service.

Currently, we can only inspect vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes in gross vehicle weight. The good news is, this covers virtually all standard cars on the road today – even luxury vehicles with large engines.

At Car.co.uk, we do not provide pre-purchase inspections for motorcycles. However, the independent vehicle inspectors we work with can inspect a huge range of vehicles, from cars to motorhomes, and almost everything in-between.

With Car.co.uk, you don’t need to be present when one of our independent inspectors carries out an inspection on your behalf. Your report will include photos of the car too – so you can be confident you’re getting the full picture, even if you’re miles away.

A cracked windscreen will not fail an inspection – simply because a pre-purchase inspection isn’t designed to be passed or failed. Instead, the report that’s produced will comment on the windscreen and provide photos, so you can decide if that car’s right for you.

Since a pre-purchase vehicle inspection is not test, a vehicle will never pass or fail. However, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) warning light is likely to mean the system isn’t working as it should. An inspection will flag this as a dangerous issue.

A pre-purchase vehicle inspection doesn’t test a car; instead, it’s used to give a prospective buyer a full report on the condition of the vehicle. As such, an airbag warning light won’t mean the car fails – but it will be reported as a dangerous issue.

In the UK, a pre-purchase vehicle inspection isn’t a test – it’s a way of generating a report about the condition of the car. As such, there’s no pass or fail – but an illuminated engine management light could be a problem, and will be noted on the report.