Which photos to take during a vehicle inspection

The principle: three levels of view

A good set mixes wide shots, area shots and close-ups. Wide shots show which vehicle it is, area shots locate a flaw, and close-ups show it.

Without all three, a photo stays ambiguous: a close-up alone does not say where the scratch is, and a wide shot does not show it.

The views for a car

In Fleedy, the photo flow for a car has fourteen views. Each comes with an on-screen guide showing where to stand.

You can follow the same logic on paper or with your own phone, as long as you always keep the same order.

• Dashboard
• Front and rear
• Left and right sides, front part then rear part (four views)
• All four wheels
• Front interior and rear interior
• Trunk

The views for a motorcycle

For a motorcycle, the Fleedy flow has eight views: dashboard, front, left side, front wheel, rear wheel, rear, right side and engine.

Two-wheelers hide damage in the details. Add extra photos of levers, mirrors, fairing and tank whenever there is doubt.

Lighting conditions

Light decides what you can see. A fine scratch vanishes in direct sun or on wet paint, and a dark vehicle reads poorly in shade.

A few simple habits improve every set.

• Position yourself so the sun is not in the lens
• Avoid strong reflections on glass and paint
• In a dark car park, move the vehicle or light the area
• Wipe a very dirty or wet body before shooting, if you can
• Keep the lens clean

Mileage and fuel

The odometer and the gauge are photographed like everything else. In Fleedy, the agent enters the mileage and can photograph the odometer as supporting evidence, then sets the fuel level on the gauge.

If the mileage entered is lower than the one already on file for the vehicle, the app asks the agent to check the odometer again before moving on.

Photographing damage

For each flaw, take an area shot and then a close-up. Put a size reference next to the scratch, such as a coin or a ruler, so its extent can be judged.

In Fleedy, the agent circles the damage directly on the photo and picks its type: scratch, dent, crack, chip, stain or other. A note can be added, for example "scratch on front left door".

The renter's documents

The driving licence is photographed at pickup too. In Fleedy, the licence photo is required at pickup and the ID document is optional but recommended.

Source photos and identity documents are deleted when the return is finalized, and at the latest one year after certification. Damage photos and hosted PDFs are kept for one year.

Common photo mistakes

Most unusable photos fail for the same few reasons. Knowing them is half the fix.

• Blurry shots taken in a hurry: pause for a second before pressing the shutter
• Close-ups with no area shot, so nobody can tell where the flaw is
• Wide shots only, where small scratches cannot be seen
• Different angles at pickup and at return
• Photos taken after the renter has already driven off

At return: same views, same order

At return, take exactly the same angles in the same order, so every pickup view has its counterpart. The Fleedy report then shows pickup and return photos side by side.

A return photo taken from another angle can no longer be compared with the pickup one, and that is often where doubt creeps in.

Frequently asked questions