Vehicle buying and selling · VB-14

Vehicle Collection and Drive-Home Checklist

A free printable checklist for collecting a used car — what to arrange before leaving home, what to count and check at handover, and the first drive.

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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.

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A4 58 kB US Letter 58 kB

Fill it in type and save

A4 106 kB US Letter 106 kB

The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.

What this sheet is for

Turn the excited, slightly rushed hour of collecting a vehicle into a list, so the second key, the locking wheel nut and the cover start time are all dealt with before you drive off.

Who it is for

Anyone collecting a vehicle they have just bought, privately or from a dealer, and anyone driving one home for a friend or family member.

How to use it

Work through the 'before you leave home' group the evening before.
At the handover, count keys, list documents and write the odometer and fuel level in the box before you sign anything.
Set the seat, mirrors and lights before moving, and watch the warning lights.
Stop after a few miles and look under the bonnet and underneath.
At home, record the odometer, file the paperwork and raise any faults with the seller straight away.

What is on the sheet

2 pages, in this order:

Page 1

Printed under the title: The day you collect the vehicle you have bought — what to have arranged before you leave home, what to count and check at the handover, and what to do on the first drive and once it is home.

Check the rules where you are. What has to be in place before a vehicle is driven — cover, tax, registration, plates — differs from country to country and changes, so check the rules where you are and use the official process. This sheet is the list of what you need to have sorted and what to check, not a statement of what the law requires.

Write-on lines: Vehicle · Collecting from · Date · Odometer at handover · Fuel / charge at handover · Keys received · Agreed price paid

Before you leave home

Cover arranged to start from the collection time, with confirmation in hand
Whatever registration or road tax step applies where you are is done or ready
Payment method agreed with the seller, and a receipt or the sale record ready
Breakdown cover checked for whether it covers a vehicle you have just bought
Your own ID and the seller's details to hand; a lift or return ticket arranged

At the handover

VIN and registration checked against the paperwork one more time
Every key counted, including any fob, locking wheel nut key and spare
Documents handed over listed on the Vehicle Sale and Handover Record
Manuals, service book, charging cable, tools, jack and spare present
Odometer and fuel level written in above and photographed
Walked round once more for new damage since you viewed it
Seller shows you anything unusual: alarm, immobiliser, quirks, a stiff lock

Page 2

Before you pull away

Seat, mirrors, wipers, lights and demister found and set before moving
Warning lights watched at ignition and any that stay on noted
Tyre pressures set to the handbook figure, or checked at the first stop
Route home planned with a place to stop after a few miles

The drive home and after

Stopped early: bonnet lifted, underneath glanced at for drips, temperature watched
Noises, smells, pulling and gear changes noted while they are fresh
Fuelled or charged before it becomes a worry; the first receipt kept
At home: odometer recorded, photographs taken, paperwork filed
Faults noticed on the way listed below and raised with the seller promptly
Service, test date and any recall check booked in the diary

Faults noticed on the day — raise them with the seller while they are fresh

Table, 9 rows: What you noticed · When / where · Raised on · Seller's answer

Questions

Why does the sheet not say what cover or registration you need before driving?

Because that differs from country to country and changes, and the wrong answer would be worse than none. Check the rules where you are, and use the official process; the sheet reminds you to have it done, not what it is.

What goes on this sheet that is not on the Vehicle Sale and Handover Record?

That record is the sale itself — who, what, how much, signatures. This is your own day: what to sort out beforehand, what to check at the kerb and what to do on the way home. Use both.