Which photos should you take when you pick up a rental car?

Most disputes about rental car damage come down to one question: was the damage already there when you picked up the car? The rental company usually has its own inspection record. Your own dated photos are often the only evidence you have that tells a different story. This article gives you a fixed order so you do not forget anything at a busy desk or in a dark car park.

Before you start the engine

Ask the staff member to walk around the car with you. The European Consumer Centres advise you not to drive off before existing damage is written down or photographed, and to make sure every defect you find is marked on the damage diagram or list. If no one is available, you do the inspection yourself, and your photos become even more important.

Check the pick-up form before you sign it. If it says "no damage" while you can see scratches, ask for them to be added and photograph the corrected form.

The fixed order: 12 photos and one video

Start with a slow video. Walk once around the car, filming from about two metres away, then a second round closer to the bodywork. Say the date and the place out loud. After that, take these photos:

1. Front, straight on, with the number plate readable.
2. Front left corner, including the wheel.
3. Left side, full length.
4. Rear left corner and wheel.
5. Rear, straight on, with the number plate.
6. Rear right corner and wheel.
7. Right side, full length.
8. Front right corner and wheel.
9. Windscreen, from outside, at an angle so chips catch the light.
10. Roof, if you can see it, and the mirrors.
11. Dashboard with the mileage and the fuel gauge, engine on.
12. Interior: seats, boot and the spare wheel or repair kit.

Then take a close-up of every scratch, dent or chip you find, with something next to it for scale, such as a key. Wheels and the lower edge of the bumpers deserve extra attention, because kerb damage and scrapes underneath are common in claims and easy to miss.

Make the photos count as evidence

A photo only helps if it is clear when and where it was taken. Most phones store the date, time and often the location in the photo file. Do not edit or crop the originals; keep them as they are and make copies if you want to share them. Our free evidence mode stamps the date, time and place on the photo itself, which makes them easier to use in a letter.

Back the photos up the same day, for example to cloud storage or by emailing them to yourself. A claim can arrive weeks after your trip, and by then a lost phone means lost evidence.

If you find damage that is not on the form

Finding an unrecorded scratch is common, and how you handle it in the next five minutes matters more than the scratch itself:

• Go back to the desk, or call the number on the contract if the desk is far away, and ask for the damage to be added.
• If someone adds it, photograph the corrected form with the new mark visible.
• If no one is available, send a short email to the company before you drive off, with the photos attached and the time in the subject line, for example "Existing damage at pick-up, booking 12345, 09:41". The email's timestamp is then your record.

Bad light, rain and night pick-ups

Underground car parks and late arrivals make small damage hard to see. Use your phone's torch at a low angle to the bodywork, so dents and scratches cast a shadow. Rain hides scratches, so dry a panel with a tissue if something looks odd. If you really cannot see well, write on the form that the check was done in poor light or rain, and take a second set of photos in daylight within the first hours of the rental, before you have driven far.

What to check besides damage

• Fuel level and policy. The ECC Malta leaflet warns that with a full-to-full policy you pay for missing fuel plus an administrative fee. Photograph the fuel gauge.
• Mileage. Especially when your rental has a mileage limit.
• Safety equipment. Warning triangle, vest and, where needed, snow chains. Missing items can be charged later.
• Your copy of the form. Photograph the signed pick-up form and keep it with your rental contract.

Use a checklist

At the desk you are often tired, there is a queue, and the staff want to move on. A checklist on your phone keeps you calm. Our pick-up checklist follows the order above and works offline. If you are unsure what a term on the pick-up form means, the form translator explains it in your language.

If you still get a claim

Even with good photos you can receive a damage claim after your trip. Then your photos are the core of your objection. Read how to dispute a damage claim and check what the company has to show in what a damage claim should contain. You can also upload the claim and your photos to Scratchfair for a free check of its weak points.