AutoSmart GuidebooksWhat this guidebook covers
Trading Standards officers buy cars from dealers and have them inspected, so every used car you sell could be a test purchase. Selling an unroadworthy vehicle is a criminal offence, and clocking is fraud, with up to 10 years in prison.
This guidebook covers 6 vehicle standards with 18 checkpoints across used cars, the workshop, tyre bay and MOT centre: pre-sale roadworthiness checks, open recalls cleared before sale, verified mileage, history and write-off checks, legal tyres and MOT testing standards.
The 6 vehicle sales standards
Open a standard to see the law behind it, what is checked, what it can cost and the evidence. Ideal fix times are counted from audit submission.
VEH-01Pre-sale roadworthiness checkImmediate
- The law
- Road Traffic Act 1988 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DMCCA 2024 · Road Traffic Act 1988 s.75 sale of unroadworthy vehicles · GPSR 2005 dangerous products
- What we check
- Every used car gets a documented pre-sale inspection (brakes, tyres, steering, lights, structure, warning lights) before it's advertised, and faults are fixed.
- What it can cost
- Selling an unroadworthy or dangerous car is criminal: unlimited fines, and prison for dangerous products.
- Evidence
- PDI sheets
VEH-02Open recalls cleared before saleImmediate
- The law
- Road Traffic Act 1988 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DMCCA 2024 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DVSA recall code of practice
- What we check
- Every car is checked for outstanding safety recalls before sale, and recall work is completed (or the customer is clearly told and it's booked in) before handover.
- What it can cost
- Supplying a car with a known safety defect can be treated as a dangerous product offence.
- Evidence
- Recall checks
VEH-03Mileage verifiedImmediate
- The law
- Road Traffic Act 1988 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DMCCA 2024 · DMCCA 2024 misleading actions · Fraud Act 2006 (mileage tampering)
- What we check
- Mileage is checked against MOT history and service records before sale, discrepancies are investigated and disclosed, and mileage is never altered.
- What it can cost
- Clocking can be prosecuted as fraud: up to 10 years in prison.
- Evidence
- MOT history checks
VEH-04History and write-off checks72 hours
- The law
- Road Traffic Act 1988 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DMCCA 2024 · DMCCA 2024 misleading omissions · Consumer Rights Act 2015
- What we check
- Every car has a history check for outstanding finance, theft and insurance write-off category, and the result is disclosed and filed.
- What it can cost
- A hidden write-off leads to a rejected car, a refund and possible prosecution.
- Evidence
- History checks
VEH-05Tyres legal and correctly marked24 hours
- The law
- Road Traffic Act 1988 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DMCCA 2024 · Motor Vehicles (Tyres) (Safety) Regulations 1994 part-worn tyres · Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs
- What we check
- Cars are sold with legal tyres (at least 1.6 mm, no damage). Part-worn tyres sold separately are inspected and marked "PART WORN".
- What it can cost
- Each unsafe or unmarked tyre is a separate offence, with unlimited fines.
- Evidence
- Photos
VEH-06MOT testing standards7 days
- The law
- Road Traffic Act 1988 · General Product Safety Regulations 2005 · DMCCA 2024 · MOT Testing Guide · DVSA disciplinary framework
- What we check
- Where the site tests MOTs, testers are qualified and do annual training and assessment, equipment is calibrated, and tests are done honestly and fully. Applies when: Sites that are authorised MOT testing stations.
- What it can cost
- DVSA can stop the centre testing. Fraudulent MOTs can bring criminal prosecution.
- Evidence
- Training + calibration + QC
How to run a UK vehicle sales standards audit, step by step
- Confirm what applies. Include every used car in stock and on the forecourt, plus the MOT centre if you run one.
- Walk the site, standard by standard. Score each of the 18 checkpoints Pass, Fail or N/A. N/A only where the standard rules it out, with the reason recorded. Pick cars from stock and check the PDI sheet, open recalls, MOT mileage history and tyre markings for each.
- Capture the evidence. A pass counts only with proof captured at the time of the audit: PDI checklists, recall checks, mileage and history reports, and MOT records.
- Give every fail an owner and a fix time. Record what you saw and who owns the fix. Each standard carries an ideal fix time, from immediate to 7 days, counted from audit submission (see the table above).
- Fix it, then prove it. The site fixes the cause and uploads proof of closure; the auditor checks the proof before closing the finding.
- Re-check at the next audit. Confirm closed findings stay closed, and look for the same fail at your other sites so one gap doesn't repeat across the network.
Who this guidebook is for
- Used car and sales managers
- Workshop and MOT managers
- Auditors
A reference document, not legal advice. Fines and rules change: check the current text with the regulator or your legal adviser before acting.
