Vehicle health check report

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• A health check builds trust and books work — honestly done. A clear traffic-light report shows the customer what you found and why, turns a vague "it needs a few things" into a plan, and generates genuine repeat work. Done straight, it's one of the best relationship tools a garage has. Done to upsell things that don't need doing, it destroys trust fast — and word gets round.
• Green, amber, red — and mean it. Red is a safety item that needs doing now; amber is "keep an eye, sort it soon"; green is fine. Be consistent, and note why something's red or amber so the customer understands, not just feels sold to.
• It is not an MOT — say so. A health check is a helpful visual inspection, not a legal test. Keep the two clearly separate so a customer never thinks a green health check means the car would pass an MOT (or vice versa). If you're an MOT station, MOT paperwork comes from DVSA and is separate from this.
• Photos help. A quick photo of a worn tyre or a corroded brake pipe alongside the report makes the case far better than words, and settles any "was it really that bad?" question later.
• Log the advisories. Noting what you flagged and when protects you (you told them) and helps the next visit. If a customer declines urgent safety work, record that you advised it.
• Applies UK-wide. Health checks are good practice everywhere; MOT testing is regulated separately by DVSA. Tyre tread and light/brake standards are set in law — use them as your red-line.