A test drive tells you how a car feels. It does not tell you the front tyres have 3mm left, the rear subframe is starting to rust, or the clutch is on its way out. Those are the things that turn a good price into an expensive one, and they are exactly what an inspector finds in an hour on a ramp.
On YourCar you can book an independent inspection of a car you are thinking of buying, for a fixed £129. You do not phone round garages or arrange a time with the seller yourself, and while the car is being inspected it is reserved for you, so nobody else can buy it out from under you. This is how it works, what you get back, and when it is worth it.
- Fixed price, paid once. No quotes, no haggling
- £129
- Areas checked, each graded Good, Fair or Attention
- 6
- Typical cost of one fault a test drive misses*
- £450+
How it works, step by step
- Find the car. Any listing whose seller allows inspections has a Get it inspected button. If you can see it, the seller has already said yes. There is nothing to ask them.
- Read what happens and the terms. The panel sets both out in plain words before you commit to anything.
- Add a note if you like. If there is something you want looked at, like a noise you heard on the test drive, say so. You do not pick any dates.
- Pay £129. You need a YourCar account for this step. If you are not signed in, you can create one there and then, and you carry on from where you were. The car is reserved for you from the moment you pay.
- Inspectors offer the seller times. We send the job to independent inspectors on the Island. Each one that can do it offers the seller three times.
- The seller picks one. They choose the time and the inspector that suit them. Some inspectors have premises with a ramp and the seller takes the car in; mobile mechanics go to the car.
- The inspector inspects the car. Six areas, each graded and photographed.
- The report arrives in your account. It appears under Inspections, with a PDF you can keep, forward to a partner, or take back to the seller. It comes within two weeks of paying, usually sooner.
You can follow every step under Inspections in your account, and we email you as it moves on.
The terms, in plain words
- The car is reserved for you from the moment you pay until 7 days after the report. Other buyers can still message the seller, but nobody else can reserve it or book an inspection.
- You can release the car at any time before the report, from your account. That ends the inspection, and you do not get the £129 back.
- It is not refundable if you change your mind. An inspector has set time aside for it.
- The seller gets a copy of the report. It is about their car, and it helps them answer your questions.
- You get a full refund if:
- no inspector offers to do it within 5 working days,
- the seller does not pick a time within 7 days of the first offer,
- the seller declines the inspection,
- the car sells to someone else first,
- the car is not there for the inspection, or
- the inspection happens but no report arrives within 7 days.
- If the inspector does not turn up, we offer the job to every other inspector and the seller picks a new time. The car stays reserved for you.
What is in the report
Every report covers the same six areas, so you can compare two cars like for like:
| Area | What the inspector looks at |
|---|---|
| Engine | Starting, warning lights, fluid levels, leaks, noises on the ramp |
| Tyres | Tread depth on all four, age, matching brands, uneven wear |
| Underside and rust | Sills, subframes, brake lines, exhaust. On the Island, this is the one that matters most |
| Exterior | Panel gaps, repaint or filler, chips, scratches, glass |
| Interior | Seats, electrics, air-con, infotainment, warning lights on the dash |
| Road test | Steering, gearbox and clutch, brakes, vibration, noises at speed |
Each area gets a traffic-light grade: Good, Fair (worth knowing about, not urgent) or Attention (budget for it, or ask about it). The overall grade is the worst of the six unless the inspector explains why it should not be. Notes are written in plain English. You will not need a mechanic to read it.
Want to see one before you book? Open the sample inspection report. It is a made-up car, but it is the real layout, amber grades included.
How much can an inspection save you?
Most cars pass with a few ambers. The ones that do not are why inspections exist. These are the faults an inspector most often finds that a test drive does not, with what they typically cost to put right on the Island:
| What an inspector finds | Typical cost to fix |
|---|---|
| Two tyres near the legal limit | £180 to £300 |
| Worn brake discs and pads on one axle | £250 to £400 |
| Corroded sills or subframe | £300 to £1,000+ |
| Slipping or heavy clutch | £500 to £900 |
| Timing belt overdue, or a rattling chain | £400 to £1,500 |
| Blocked diesel particulate filter | £250 to £1,500 |
Find one of those before you buy and you have three good options: walk away, ask the seller to fix it, or knock the cost off the price. Any one of them usually pays for the £129 several times over.
*Our estimate from typical Isle of Man garage prices for the repairs above. We will replace it with real figures from filed reports once there are enough of them to be fair.What an inspection is not
It is a qualified inspector's honest opinion of the car on the day. It is not a warranty, a guarantee of future condition, or a valuation. The report goes to you and to the seller, and it never appears on the listing.
When it is worth booking one
- The car is older than five years, or has done more than 60,000 miles.
- You are buying privately, so there is no dealer warranty behind it.
- You cannot get there yourself, or you do not know what you are looking at under a car.
- It is a car with a known weak spot: a timing chain, a dual-mass flywheel, a DPF. Our BMW 3 Series guide is an example of what to ask about.
- It has spent years near the sea. Island cars rust from underneath, and you cannot see that from the kerb.
If you are selling
You choose whether buyers can book an inspection when you list your car, and you can change it at any time with Allow inspections on your car's page. This is what happens when a buyer books one.
- The car is reserved for them. It stays on sale and other buyers can still message you, but nobody else can reserve it or book an inspection until 7 days after the report.
- Inspectors offer you times. You see each inspector's name, three times, and whether you take the car to them or they come to you. Pick the one that suits you on your car's page. For a visit to you, say where the car will be: only the inspector you book sees it.
- None of the times work? Your car's page shows each inspector's phone number. Call them to agree a time; they record it, and you get an email.
- The inspection happens, at the time you picked. If the inspector does not turn up, choose They didn't turn up on your car's page: we look into it the same working day and find you another inspector.
- You get a free copy of the report, the same one the buyer gets.
If you are a private seller, the inspector you book gets your phone number, and nobody else does. You can decline an inspection until it starts: the buyer gets a full refund. And if you sell the car to the buyer while it is reserved for them, mark it as sold to them on your car's page.
Common questions
Does the seller have to agree? Sellers choose whether their car can be inspected when they list it. If the Get it inspected button is on the listing, they already have.
Do I have to pick a day? No. Inspectors offer the seller times, and the seller picks one. You see the inspector and the time in your account as soon as it is booked.
How long does it take? The report comes within two weeks of paying, usually sooner. How soon depends on the times inspectors can offer and the one the seller picks.
Who are the inspectors? Independent garages and mobile mechanics in the Isle of Man. They are paid a fixed fee by us, not by the seller, so they have no reason to be kind to the car.
Can I use the report to negotiate? Yes. Many buyers take it straight back to the seller, who has a copy of their own.
For everything else about buying here, from paperwork to the handover, see buying a car on the Isle of Man.