The short version
- Record the vehicle at every handover between drivers, and at issue and return for pool vehicles.
- Film identity and numbers first: plate, odometer, fuel or charge.
- One continuous lap, then wheels, glass, interior and load area.
- Log defects separately — a condition record is not a defect report.
- Record it again at de-fleet, before the collection agent arrives.
- Keep the reports centrally, not on the driver's phone.
The three problems this solves
- Attribution. A van used by four people across a fortnight arrives at the yard with a scraped sill and nobody knows whose it is. Without handover records the cost falls on the business, and the conversation with drivers is corrosive.
- End-of-lease charges. Damage invoices at de-fleet are assessed against a fair wear and tear standard, often weeks after collection, with photographs taken by the collecting agent. Your own dated record from before collection is the only counterweight.
- Disputed responsibility with third parties. Car parks, valets, dealers and body shops all handle your vehicles. A record at drop-off and collection places the damage.
What a handover record contains
Identity and numbers
- Registration plate, close and legible
- Odometer and trip
- Fuel level or state of charge
- Date, time and the driver taking it on
Body and glass
- One continuous lap, all panels and bumpers
- Windscreen chips and all lamp lenses
- Roof, and the sides of any roof rack or beacon
- Livery and signage condition
Wheels and tyres
- Each rim face and kerb edge
- Tread and sidewalls
- Spare, jack and locking nut present
Interior and equipment
- Seats, trim, headlining, smoking or vaping smell
- Dash warning lights, screens, telematics unit
- Load area, racking, ply lining, straps
- Tools, PPE, first aid, spill kit, charging cable
Walkaround checks are a different thing
A daily walkaround is a safety and roadworthiness check with a defect-reporting duty attached: tyres, lights, brakes, mirrors, loads, leaks. A condition record is about cosmetic and interior state for cost attribution. They overlap in footage but not in purpose, and a business that conflates them ends up satisfying neither — film both if you like, but log defects through whatever your compliance process is, and do it the moment they are found.
Fair wear and tear at de-fleet
Leasing companies assess returned vehicles against a published fair wear and tear standard, typically with tolerances for small scratches and dents and charges for anything beyond. Two habits save real money: repair minor damage before collection where it is cheaper than the charge, and record the vehicle thoroughly in good light before the agent arrives.
In the UK the reference point is the BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear standard, which most funders assess returned vehicles against and which sets out the tolerances — acceptable scratch lengths, dent sizes and positions, tyre and interior condition. Get your funder's current copy, walk the vehicle against it a month before collection, and you will know which items are worth repairing and which are already within tolerance.
The collection inspection frequently happens at speed, sometimes in the dark or the rain, and the resulting report arrives weeks later. If you disagree with it, your own dated footage from before collection is the entire basis of the challenge.
Making it actually happen
- Put it in the handover process, not in a policy document. Two minutes, same route, every time.
- One person per record. Whoever is taking the vehicle on films it — they are the one who inherits the damage otherwise.
- Store it centrally. Footage on a driver's personal phone leaves with the driver.
- Review it when a charge appears, not before. The point is that it exists.
Doing it with CompareAI Inspect
- Guided angle capture gives each vehicle a fixed set of hotspots — front, each corner, each side, rear — so every driver records the same angles and captured ones turn green.
- Handover pairs compare automatically: the outgoing record is Before, the incoming one is After, matched by angle name, and the AI reports what changed with a location and a severity.
- A project per vehicle keeps the whole history in order, so a damage invoice can be placed against a date.
- Reports carry SHA-256 fingerprints, verifiable at compareai.work/verify — which matters when you are challenging a charge from a leasing company or a third-party handler.
- Shared projects mean drivers can add records without being able to delete anything.
Not legal advice. Roadworthiness duties, daily check requirements and driver responsibilities are set by regulation and by your own policies, and they differ by country and vehicle class. This guide covers condition evidence, not compliance — a condition clip is not a defect report and does not replace one.
Questions people ask
Who is liable when two drivers share a vehicle?
Whoever your policy says, but without handover records the question is unanswerable and the cost lands on the business. A dated record at each change of driver turns it into a matter of fact, which also makes any recharge policy fair enough to enforce.
What counts as fair wear and tear at the end of a lease?
Leasing companies publish a standard with tolerances — small scratches within a certain length, minor dents in specified places, tyre tread limits, interior condition. Get your funder's current guide, assess the vehicle against it a month before collection, and fix what is cheaper to repair than to be charged for.
Is this the same as a daily walkaround check?
No. A walkaround is a safety check with a defect-reporting duty; this is a condition record for cost attribution. Do both, keep them separate, and report defects through your compliance process immediately rather than leaving them in a video.
How long should we keep vehicle condition reports?
At least until the vehicle leaves the fleet and any de-fleet invoice is settled — so for a leased vehicle, the whole contract plus a few months. Keep exported reports rather than raw footage for the long tail; they are small and carry the fingerprints.
Can drivers just use their own phones?
They can record on their own phones, but the records must land somewhere the business controls. Footage in a personal camera roll disappears when someone leaves, and a shared project keeps the evidence with the vehicle rather than with the individual.
Does telematics not cover this already?
Telematics shows where a vehicle was, how it was driven and sometimes that an impact occurred. It does not show a kerbed alloy, a torn seat or a scraped sill, and it cannot tell you which of three drivers caused any of them. The two are complementary.