Booking the transport is the easy part. The half-hour you spend getting the car ready is what protects you if anything is ever queried, and it makes the driver’s job quicker on collection day. Here is exactly what to do, in the order that makes sense.

Start with a wash

Washing the car before collection is not about looks. A clean panel is the only way to see the small marks, stone chips and light scratches that are already there. Once they are visible, a genuinely new mark stands out straight away if it ever appears. Give the outside a proper clean, pay attention to the wheels and the lower panels where road grime hides marks, and tidy the inside too so nothing rolls around in the boot in transit.

Photograph every side, and date the shots

Photos are your record, and they take five minutes. Work your way round the car in good daylight and capture every panel, all four corners, the roof, the bonnet and boot lid, the wheels and tyres, and the front and rear. Do not skip underneath the bumpers, where kerb scuffs tend to collect, and take a shot of the odometer and the interior as well.

Make sure each image carries a date. Most phones stamp this into the file automatically, so check that setting is on before you start. Keep the photos somewhere you can find them again, because you will want to compare them at delivery.

The pre-collection checklist

Work through these in one go and the car is ready to load:

1. Leave no more than a quarter tank of fuel. That is enough for the driver to load and unload safely, without adding needless weight to a transporter that is already carrying several cars.
2. Remove every personal belonging. Check the boot, glovebox, door pockets, parcel shelf and under the seats. Items left inside are not covered by the transport insurance and can shift or get damaged on the move.
3. Take out toll tags and loose electronics. A Telepass or other toll transponder will keep clocking up charges as the transporter passes the gantries, so remove it. Do the same with dash cams, sat navs and phone holders.
4. Disable the alarm. An alarm that keeps triggering on the road is a real headache for the driver. Switch it off, or tell us exactly how it works so it can be managed.
5. Fold the mirrors and retract the aerial. Cars travel packed closely together, so folded mirrors are far less likely to catch a knock during loading.
6. Check tyres, battery and fluids. Correct tyre pressures, a charged battery and no active leaks all help loading go smoothly. If you can see an obvious leak, sort it before collection.
7. Write down the existing damage. Alongside your photos, jot down any dents, scratches and chips you already know about, so you and the driver are working from the same list.

Have your documents ready

Keep the vehicle registration document (your V5C, or the equivalent registration papers for your country) and proof of insurance to hand, along with photo ID. You are handing the car to a professional driver, and having the paperwork lined up keeps the handover quick and straightforward.

A few extras worth doing

These are not needed for every car, but they smooth things out on the day:

• Hand over a working key. The driver needs a key that unlocks the doors and starts the car, or at least releases the steering lock on a non-runner. Keep your spare set with you.
• Close and secure a soft-top. If you have a convertible, make sure the roof is up and latched so it cannot lift while the car is on the move.
• Flag anything low or modified. Lowered suspension, a front splitter, a roof box or a bike rack all change how the car is loaded, so mention them when you book rather than on the doorstep.
• Be reachable on the day. Keep your phone on for both collection and delivery, and give us an alternative contact if someone else will be handing the car over on your behalf.

Tell us if it runs, or if it is a non-runner

Be straight with us about whether the car starts, steers, brakes and rolls under its own power. A running car drives straight onto the transporter. A non-runner is still perfectly transportable, but the driver needs to bring a winch and plan the load in advance, so we have to know before the day. Let us know whether the car is rollable and steerable, whether the tyres hold air, and whether the key releases the steering lock. Being upfront costs nothing; a driver arriving to find a surprise non-runner can mean a wasted trip. If you are still comparing options, our car transport service page explains how open and enclosed transporters handle both cases.

Collection day: the inspection and the Bill of Lading

When the driver arrives, you will walk round the car together and agree its condition. That agreed condition goes onto the Bill of Lading, a single document that works as your receipt, the transport contract and the condition report all at once. It is the piece of paper everything hinges on, so treat the walk-round properly:

• Do the inspection in daylight wherever you can, so nothing is missed.
• Check that every existing mark you noted is written down before you sign.
• Never sign anything you have not read or do not agree with. Once signed, it is binding.
• Keep your signed copy. You will repeat the walk-round at delivery and compare the two.

Because a carrier’s cover applies to damage that happens in transit, the collection record is exactly what separates a pre-existing scuff from a fresh one. That is the whole reason the wash, the dated photos and the honest condition list matter: together they leave no room for doubt on either side. Every carrier we work with is verified and insured, and you can read more about how we vet them on our why choose us page.

Ready when you are

None of this takes long, and it turns collection day into a five-minute formality rather than a scramble. Once the car is prepared, pricing is quick: get your quote in a couple of minutes and we will match your route and vehicle to a checked, insured driver, with nothing to pay before pickup.