Templates
Vehicle Preparation Checklist
A free forecourt prep checklist — mechanical, safety, documentation, valeting and photography — so nothing is missed between buying a car and putting it out for sale.
What's included
- Safety: MOT, brakes, tyres, lights, warning lights
- Mechanical: service, fluids, cambelt, battery, air conditioning
- Documents: V5C, service history, HPI, second key, manuals
- Appearance: valet, paint correction, wheels, smart repairs
- Listing: photo set, video, description, price check, publish
- Done / who / date / notes columns for every line
Download — free, no sign-up
Open the spreadsheet in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. The CSV is there if you want to import it somewhere else.
In short
A 34-point checklist across five stages — safety, mechanical, documents, appearance and listing — with columns for who did it and when. Work it in order and no car reaches the forecourt with a missing key, a two-month MOT or six photos.
The five stages
The order is deliberate. Safety and mechanical work come first because they can change whether you retail the car at all — there is no point valeting a car you are about to send to auction. Documents come next, because a missing V5C or second key takes days to resolve and should not be discovered on handover day. Appearance and the listing come last, together, so the photos show the car as the customer will see it.
Why preparation time is stock time
Days in stock are counted from the day you buy, not the day you advertise. A dealer averaging 55 days to sell but taking twelve days to prepare each car is really selling in 43 — and could take two full turns a year out of the business simply by halving the preparation lag.
Put your own numbers into the stock turn calculator to see what those days are worth.
How to use it on the pitch
- Print or copy a sheet the day a car arrives and attach it to the key.
- Whoever does a job signs the line — accountability is the point of the who column.
- Anything that cannot be completed gets a note, not a blank.
- The car does not go on the forecourt until the listing block is finished.
- Record the ready-for-sale date and compare it to the purchase date every month.
When you reach the listing stage, the stock photography workflow covers how to capture a complete, consistent image set before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
How long should preparation take?
Aim to have a car retail-ready within five working days of arriving. Every day in preparation counts against your days in stock exactly like a day unsold — the clock starts when you buy the car, not when you advertise it.
How much MOT should a retail car have?
Six months minimum, and a fresh twelve is a genuine selling point. A car sold with two months left will be back on your phone before the summer.
Is a full valet worth the cost?
It is the highest-return money you will spend. Presentation drives both the click-through rate on your advert and the price the customer will accept without haggling.
How many photos should I take?
Twenty or more, in even light, covering every angle plus interior, boot, engine bay, wheels and any damage. Adverts with full photo sets get substantially more enquiries than those with six.
Related resources
Vehicle Appraisal Form
A free part-exchange appraisal form covering condition, tyres, service history, damage and a valuation summary — so every trade-in is priced the same way.
How Long Should a Car Remain in Stock?
What a healthy days-in-stock figure looks like for a UK independent dealer, what ageing stock actually costs, and the repricing routine that keeps the forecourt moving.
Track preparation against the vehicle itself
In Lotra every car carries its own record — costs, photos, documents and status — so you can see at a glance which cars are still in preparation and which are losing you days.