Free checklist
Free Vehicle Inspection Checklist
A practical vehicle inspection checklist for company cars, vans, pickups and light trucks. Tick the items on screen or download the PDF, print it and keep a copy in every vehicle. It covers the body, tyres, lights, fluids, brakes, safety equipment and the documents a driver should carry.
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What the checklist covers and who should use it
This checklist groups the checks a driver or supervisor can do without tools into seven areas: exterior and body, tyres and wheels, lights and signals, fluids and engine bay, brakes and steering, cab and safety equipment, and documents. Each item is a yes-or-no check, so two people inspecting the same vehicle should reach the same result.
It is written for companies that run their own vehicles: delivery and distribution fleets, field service teams, sales cars and site pickups. Drivers use it before they set off; supervisors and fleet coordinators use it for spot checks and when a vehicle changes hands between drivers. It does not replace a workshop inspection or the official periodic inspection your vehicles may need, but it catches most visible problems before they turn into breakdowns.
How to use it
Use the same list every time, in the same order, so the check becomes a routine rather than a chore.
- 1
Walk around the vehicle
Start at the driver’s door and walk around once, checking body, glass, mirrors, plates and tyres. With practice this takes about five minutes.
- 2
Open the bonnet
With the engine cool and the vehicle on level ground, check oil, coolant, brake fluid and washer fluid, and look for leaks.
- 3
Check from the driver’s seat
Start the engine, look for warning lights, test lights, indicators, horn, wipers and the parking brake.
- 4
Confirm safety kit and documents
Fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, warning triangle, spare tyre and jack, vehicle licence, driver’s licence and insurance.
- 5
Record and sign
Write down the odometer reading, mark any failed item with a short note, and sign and date the sheet.
Quick pre-trip checks and deeper periodic checks
Not every item needs the same attention every day. A sensible split is:
- Before each shift or trip: the walk-around, tyres, lights, warning lights, brakes and safety kit. These are the items most likely to change from one day to the next.
- Weekly or every few hundred kilometres: fluid levels, tyre pressure with a gauge, wipers and washer fluid, battery terminals.
- Monthly, by a supervisor: the full list including documents, plus a look at tread depth and any items that failed earlier in the month.
If you want a short daily version for drivers, our guide to the daily vehicle inspection checklist explains how to build one.
What to do when an item fails
A checklist only helps if a failed item leads to action. A common practice in fleets is to sort failures into three levels:
- Stop. Anything that makes the vehicle unsafe to drive: brakes, steering, tyre damage, a leak of brake fluid or fuel, a missing seat belt. The vehicle stays parked until it is repaired.
- Repair soon. Problems that don’t stop the trip but get worse: a blown bulb, low washer fluid, an expired fire extinguisher, a small oil leak. Fix within a day or two.
- Escalate. Anything the driver isn’t sure about goes to the supervisor or workshop the same day, with a note of what was seen.
Deciding early is what reduces vehicle downtime: a warning light reported on Monday is a planned repair, the same fault ignored until Friday is often a breakdown.
Keep a record of every inspection
Keep completed sheets per vehicle, in date order, for at least a year. The record shows which problems keep coming back, whether drivers are actually doing the checks, and what state the vehicle was in when something went wrong. Always write the odometer reading on the sheet: it links the inspection to the vehicle’s maintenance schedule.
Turn this checklist into a digital inspection
Paper works, but sheets get lost and failed items rarely reach the person who books the repair. In Axpense you set up your own checklist items, drivers or supervisors complete the inspection with a pass or fail for each item, and the result is recorded on the vehicle’s history. Failed items stay visible on the vehicle until someone deals with them.
See how it works on our vehicle inspection software page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a vehicle inspection take?
A pre-trip walk-around with this list takes about five minutes once a driver is used to it. The full list including fluids and documents takes 10–15 minutes.
Who should do the inspection, the driver or a supervisor?
Both. The driver does the quick check before each trip because they are the one driving the vehicle. A supervisor does the full check periodically and whenever a vehicle moves to another driver.
Can I change the items on the checklist?
Yes. Print it as it is, or use it as a starting point and add items specific to your vehicles, such as a tail lift, refrigeration unit or roof rack.
Does this replace the official periodic inspection?
No. Official inspections, such as الفحص الدوري in Saudi Arabia, are carried out at authorised centres. This checklist is for your own day-to-day checks between those inspections.
What should I do with completed sheets?
File them per vehicle and review failed items weekly. If you want results recorded on each vehicle automatically, a digital checklist in inspection management saves the filing.
Related Axpense pages
Related guides
Daily Vehicle Inspection Checklist: What Drivers Should Check Before Every Trip
A practical daily vehicle inspection checklist for company fleets: what to check, how to finish in five minutes, and what to do when an item fails.
Read articleHow to Reduce Vehicle Downtime in a Company Fleet
How to reduce vehicle downtime: measure days off the road, work out what they cost, and cut them with maintenance, inspections, parts and workshop turnaround.
Read articleGet these numbers from your real records
Axpense keeps every vehicle’s service history, inspections and costs, so you don’t have to fill in a sheet each month.