Car Buying

CarExamer Vehicle Inspections Vs Others on the Market

In a bid to develop an understanding of the vehicle inspections services that are available in the UK market today, CarExamer has been working tirelessly to look at what is on offer to the British public, nationwide. We have reviewed some of the bigger names in the industry like the AA and RAC as well as some of the smaller such as Click Mechanic, all in the name of discovering the best value for money when you’re paying for the service, and now it’s time to look at the remaining services on the market too

These 5 specialist vehicle inspection services are all designed with inspections at the heart of their operation and are aimed at making vehicle inspections a great service to use, and now compete for your time and money. To help you make the most informed and educated decision that you can, we’re here to collect all of this data and put it all in one place all so that you don’t have to. However we have to mention CarExamer is already leading UK vehicle inspection service platform in such short time since operation began and operating across the whole of England, Scotland, Wales and the British Isles too. Offers comprehensive used car inspections at industry leading prices no matter what customers are looking from Motorhomes, classic cars to luxury and supercars, and with different levels of inspections to suit all customers, it’s easy to find one that suits customer best. Each of them has their benefits as a service, and they can bring a whole new light to the potential of vehicle inspections. Biggest difference in the market currently not only in UK, but worldwide there is no vehicle inspection standard. CarExamer platform have created a inspection standard so inspectors can follow blueprint on what and how inspections needs to be conducted to avoid complaints. Inspectors inspect vehicles as they would be buying one for themselves.  Customer reviews already placing CarExamer’s used car inspection service in the leading position in the UK.

Extra features from CarExamer is as follows. It does also need to be noted when focussing on the value of the inspections on offer that CarExamer has many service bonuses that are included in these figures. They aren’t always well known, and aren’t definitely not common among other services. This includes features such as an online portal to view your inspection updates in real-time, regular notification updates on every step of the booking progress, communication with inspector internally, potential repair costs, unlimited vehicle images as required, *free cancellations simply available from personal account, same day vehicle inspection options and loyalty discounts, multi-buy discounts all work together to give the best possible value for money from one of the only specialist inspection services that are on the market. If you are unsure about what you need and are looking to multiple inspections, that can make the prices even more favourable to you.

Here’s what all 5 of these services have to offer you.

CarExamer

The best place to start in our vehicle inspection comparison is with ourselves since we have all of the information that you could possibly need already here on the site. Putting it all into one place just means that it’s easier to compare with the rest of the market and help you be as informed as you can be, without all of the extra leg work. Extra features from CarExamer is as follows. It does also need to be noted when focussing on the value of the inspections on offer that CarExamer has many service bonuses that are included in these figures. They aren’t always well known, and aren’t definitely not common among other services. This includes features such as an online portal to view your inspection updates in real-time, regular notification updates on every step of the booking progress, communication with inspector internally, unlimited vehicle images as required, free cancellations simply available from personal account, same day vehicle inspection options and loyalty discounts, multi-buy discounts all work together to give the best possible value for money from one of the only specialist inspection services that are on the market. If you are unsure about what you need and are looking to multiple inspections, that can make the prices even more favourable to you.

Engineers report

The first package offered by CarExamer is the newly added engineers report inspection classification. This is specifically designed to help with dispute resolution and can be used in court as evidence and is CPR 35 compliant. This inspection check is adjusted according to customers situation by Engineer. Costs provided is estimate only and may vary as every litigation and evidence required is completely different case by case basis and costings will be advised when Engineer accepts the booking.  This is the best way to make sure that you are in no immediate threat form garage who repaired your vehicle incorrectly or you have purchased faulty vehicle from used car dealer or you have been asked independent report from motor ombudsman.

Points Checked: Situation based report

Cost: From £269.99

Basic

The basic vehicle inspection package from CarExamer is the next step up from the budget and was originally the lowest spec low cost vehicle inspection package before we tweaked the system for better coverage. The basic package is still covering all of the bare minimums as well as a few extras like the drive belt and the battery health, for example.

Thes little extras are perfect for spotting potential problems that could crop up down the line, but still include all of the really serious issues that could be the cause of a complete write off like failing to start or structural damage.

  • Points Checked: 100+
  • Road Test: 10 minutes
  • Cost: From £138.99

Standard

The standard package is where things take much more of a leap than the jump between the basic and budget packages. This comes to from the huge increase in points checked rising by a staggering 100 points, and also features a longer road test that has been developed to find even more faults that could crop up even after the initial static inspection has taken place. Running the vehicle for a dedicated amount of time means that no matter what the road conditions or speed limits are, there’s always enough time to find the faults that are essential to the test.

What is even more enjoyable about the standard vehicle inspections that are being offered by CarExamer is that the price difference even despite having 100 extra points involved in the inspection only rises by the same price as the basic test does from the budget. If the value for money is your objective, that can be a huge point of interest when working out the value of inspection to you.

  • Points Checked: 200+
  • Road Test: 15 minutes 
  • Cost: From £184.99

Premium

Finally, there is the premium inspection package which is where things really reach their fullest potential. This is one of, if not the most thorough vehicle inspections point for point on the market, and in this list is the highest by almost 100 points. If you need to really be throughout in making sure you’re buying the right car for the job, with this package, it’s hard to go far wrong.

The price increase is almost £70 here as a result of this granular and thorough service, but more often than not, those few extra details and extra miles took to ensure real accuracy can pay for themselves by finding problems that could be extremely costly to put right.

  • Points Checked: 300+
  • Road Test: 15 minutes
  • Cost: From £249.99

Scotia are another inspection specialist operating from locations in many major areas of the country. Again, they have two packages on offer to the public much like Car.co.uk do, and tend to be priced actually at the higher end of the market for most cars above a 1.4L engine size. Unlike the fixed term company or companies with guidelines to the pricing listed, however, Scotia have large fluctuations in their prices like DEKRA do, meaning that inspections actually cost more for larger-engined cars, and also exclude classifications like sports/performance model cars and 4x4s too without the highest tier package or an incurred fee of £25.

Scotia

Inclusive

The lower end package that is on offer is the inclusive package, which covers 135 points and begins from a price of £99 for cars anywhere up to 1000cc. The road test is a modest 5 miles in this package which makes it one of the smallest packages in the industry in this sense and can mean that as far as value for money goes, it can actually be beaten relatively quickly.

  • Points Checked: 135
  • Road Test: 5 miles
  • Cost: £99.00 – £135.00 (engine size-dependent w/ exclusions)

Inclusive Plus

The inclusive plus package is the most premium package that is on offer from Scotia, covering 166 points in the inspection and containing a 10-mile road test. Prices begin at £159 for cars up to 1400cc, but go up from here on out. For smaller cars, that can provide it with some good ground when pitched against CarExamers standard package and Car.co.uk’s premium, but against the higher tier models, it falls quite short.

  • Points Checked: 166
  • Road Test: 10 miles
  • Cost: £159.00-£259.00 (engine size-dependent w/ exclusions)

Elite Inspections 

This service, as well as the service following, provide a large degree of unclarity when trying to compare services to establish the best value for money in the industry. This is largely down to the fact that the companies appear to operate with a closed-door policy. After conducting research, it appears that no information is available on the pricing nor the specificity of the inspections on offer, and as a result, it is too difficult to compare what is available.

National Vehicle Inspections

National Vehicle Inspections is much on the same scale as Elite inspections in the sense that their website offers little to no guidance on what is entailed in the inspections, and nor is how much the price is on getting one. This could suggest that each and every inspection is completely tailored to suit the client, but it could as easily be said that this is being done to reduce the ease of comparison. In any case, direct contact is required to engage with the team, and this is the only way to get a quote on what an inspection would cost.

The Result

The initial 3 services demonstrated in the comparison clearly have benefits and advantages to their services, and all similar in terms of what the high-end packages have to offer. With this said, it’s still just as easily demonstrated that CarExamer has the most variety in inspection available, and this is a huge benefit to aiding in selecting the most appropriate package for each individual customer.

  • All inspections are Guaranteed*
  • Potential repair costs provided
  • Have extended warranty packages available to protect you from future breakdowns
  • Have a very high reputation in the trade and we are highly respected; all inspectors are fully insured. We’re not just an online market place our passion is transparency in used vehicle purchasing
  • CarExamer works with handpicked individuals only who are the best at what they do with high ethical standards and extreme professionalism. Fully qualified professional technicians are our minimum standard
  • Offer a personal approach to every vehicle inspection carried out by inspectors. We have developed a blueprint and internal set standards so every inspection carried out by inspectors has the same completion process according to the selected inspection package
  • CarExamer inspector’s priority is to protect you and made you aware of potential issues with the vehicle and provide you an understanding of the overall vehicle condition and potential repair costs so you can make the best decision
  • CarExamer booking process is simple, clear and transparent
  • Full Control of your booking from your account for any updates on the inspection and have a communications dashboard with the inspector
  • Find out inspection early results while the inspector is filling out the report it’s a Sneak-peak of the inspection process while the inspector is capturing the vehicle’s condition get a sense of the condition of the vehicle before the inspection is fully complete
  • Report available in 3-5 hours from starting inspection depending on the inspection type selected. All reports are available securely in your account
  • Choose the level of inspection that suits you – basic, standard or premium
  • No age limit on vehicles inspected
  • Save 20% when you book multiple car inspections at the same address
  • Free cancellations, before 4 hours of appointment time after 2 hours full amount
  • Enjoy customer loyalty discounts- After the first completed inspection- 1st Inspection 5% discount, 2nd Inspection 7% discount, 3rd Inspection 10% discount, 4th Inspection 12% discount, 5th Inspection 15% discount, 6th Inspection 17% discount, 7th Inspection 20% discount
  • Fully qualified professional inspectors for a comprehensive report on your vehicle
  • No risk – pay only when the inspection is completed. We reserve your payment when you make a booking
  • Find out inspection early results while the inspector is filling out the report it’s a Sneak-peak of the inspection process while the inspector is capturing the vehicle’s condition get a sense of the condition of the vehicle before the inspection is fully complete
  • Resolution centre to quickly resolve any queries

CarExamer also shows their dedication to customer service, with live chat implementation on the website, live updates via their customer login portal, unlimited photographs provided with inspection, and easily shareable data used to pass on data to any relevant party for whatever reason. This, when coupled with aspects like the free cancellations, multi-car discounts on offer and the estimated cost of repairs per point mean that you get a completely rounded service to help you both pre and post-purchase should you go ahead.

For more advice on CarExamer services, contact us today and we’ll provide all information we can.

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