AA Pre Purchase Inspection terms and conditions

An AA Pre Purchase Inspection takes approximately 75 minutes.

If the inspection is at an AA Motoring site, your vehicle must be available at the specified location 10 minutes prior to the inspection time.

If you have booked a mobile inspection, the booking times may vary due to travel and traffic delays.

The AA Pre Purchase Inspection report is provided by the AA Motoring Centre named on the report and intended for the Report Owner named on the report. The AA Motoring Centre is under no obligation to supply information or copies of the report to a third party, however, the AA reserve the right to disclose information to a third party on any potential safety issues, regarding the vehicle, which are identified by the inspection.

The AA Pre Purchase Inspection is based on an external examination of components. Due to the time and cost involved, it is not feasible for us to dismantle component assemblies to measure internal parts. These are evaluated by such factors as noise, operation and performance on the road.

The AA Pre Purchase Inspection report only relates to the condition of the vehicle at the time of inspection. The condition of a vehicle can change due to factors such as normal wear and tear, driver abuse, neglect, collision damage or deterioration of internal components that are not able to be inspected.

The AA Pre Purchase Inspection report will not tell you about:

• Hidden defects
• Intermittent problems
• Problems which become apparent after the inspection; or
• Problems which cannot be identified on a visual inspection or without parts of the vehicle being dismantled.

Provided the AA Inspector has acted with reasonable care and skill, the AA are not responsible for any defects or problems with the vehicle that are not identified or identifiable in this inspection.

The 12v battery and alternator testing and assessment is carried out by both an electronic tester and visual examination. The inspector cannot always confirm if the 12v battery fitted is of a suitable type and specification for the vehicle. The 12v battery will be tested according to its own type and specification, where it is possible for the Inspector to determine or to the Inspector’s best estimation, where accessible without disassembly of components. The battery test on the standard AA Pre-Purchase Inspection is limited to the 12v battery system and does not include any systems above 12v, including but not limited to batteries and charging systems in Electric vehicle and Hybrid vehicle types.

As part of the AA Pre Purchase Inspection, a limited road test will be performed up to 50kmph unless otherwise stated in the report. The road test will only be undertaken if the vehicle is in roadworthy condition and conforms to all legal requirements.   

Any documents which may be listed on the AA Pre Purchase Inspection report, such as the vehicle manual, maintenance records, damage reports and repair records are listed only as reference that they are available. The documents can come from external third parties and the AA does not review them. The AA is not liable for the accuracy or completeness of any information in these documents.

The AA Pre Purchase Inspection report does not contain information about the registration, liens or finance secured over the vehicle, or ownership of the vehicle as at the time of the check. This information may be available in an AA Vehicle History Check or an AA Vehicle Valuation Report, which can be purchased either online or by phoning 0800 500 333.

The AA Pre Purchase Inspection is intended to provide a report on the mechanical and physical condition of the vehicle at the time of inspection. Because this is a limited inspection, we do not warrant the condition of the vehicle at the time of purchase. There are many factors that should be taken into consideration when purchasing a used vehicle. For further protection you may wish to consider purchasing a Mechanical Breakdown Insurance policy.

Optional Add-On 

If the vehicle is an Electric Vehicle (EV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), or a Hybrid, these vehicles have a 12-volt and a high-voltage (HV) battery. A HV battery provides energy to propel the vehicle/drive the wheels. We can check the HV battery as an optional extra that you can elect at the time of the booking. If we cannot complete this part of the inspection, or it has been selected by mistake, you will be refunded the amount equal to the add-on.  

High Voltage (HV) battery test – what it is and what it isn’t 

We use a diagnostic scan tool to access the vehicle’s high-voltage control modules.   

Results are based on the vehicle manufacturer's specifications and data provided by the vehicle and the scan tool.  

This check looks for any current problems in the HV battery or control system at the time of the inspection.  

If you want to know about the HV battery’s long-term condition, capacity, or how much it has degraded, you’ll need extra tests. 

Important limitations you should know:  

Reported values from the battery management system are estimates created by the vehicle. They can vary by software version, temperature, recent usage, state of charge window, and whether the system has been recalibrated.  

Results may be inconclusive if the state of charge is too low/high (often best between 30% and 80%) or battery temperature is outside normal range. We will note any constraints. 

We use read-only diagnostic access wherever possible via the standard diagnostic port.  

We do not open the battery pack. Our report reflects vehicle reported data and a non-invasive assessment.  

A recent reset of the vehicle’s battery management system, software update, or module replacement can affect readings of the battery’s health. We will flag signs of this where detectable. 

We do not assess the HV battery’s overall health or predict how long it will last.