Tesla Pre-Purchase Inspection
A used Tesla is not a used car with a battery in it. The things that cost real money are the pack underneath, the charging system, the drive units, the software version and whether the car is running HW3 or HW4. A general inspection does not look at any of that. We inspect the car in front of the seller and put all of it in writing before you buy.
HW4 / HW3
Autopilot hardware read and photographed
Pack
Photographed from the ground, all four sides
Charging
Plugged in and confirmed charging
24 hrs
Report turnaround
Every model
Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X inspections
The checks are the same across the range, but what goes wrong is not. Each model has its own expensive habits, and the inspector knows which ones to look at on the car in front of them.
Model 3
The highest volume Tesla on the used market, and the one most likely to have been a rental or a fleet car. Check the paint on the front bumper and hood, the flush door handles, and whether the car has been run hard on a base set of brakes.
Model Y
Same platform as the Model 3 in a taller body. Watch the glass roof for chips, the liftgate alignment, and the rear quarter panels for car park damage. Early cars carry HW3, later ones HW4, and it changes what the car is worth.
Model S
Air suspension on most cars, which is the single most expensive thing to put right if a strut or compressor is failing. Plaid and Performance cars have been driven hard, so tyres, brakes and drive units deserve a close look.
Model X
Falcon wing doors are the thing to check: alignment, seals, sensors and whether they open and close cleanly on both sides. Air suspension again, plus the usual glass roof and liftgate checks.
What we check
Ten checks, and every one of them photographed
An inspector attends the vehicle, works through the car in front of them, and photographs as they go. Nothing in the report was taken from the listing, and nothing was assumed.
Battery pack, photographed from the ground
The pack is photographed front, rear and both sides, looking for scrapes, dents, leaks, swelling, corrosion and damaged shields. Ground level, never a jack of our own, and never a cover removed.
Charging test and charge port
The car is plugged into the dealer charger or a mobile connector and confirmed to be charging, with the charge rate photographed on screen. The charge port, door and latch are checked for damage.
HW4 or HW3 Autopilot hardware
Read off Controls, Software, Additional Vehicle Information and photographed, along with the software version and any Autopilot strikeouts on the car.
Active alerts and EV system warnings
Every fault and warning shown on the touchscreen and the instrument cluster is photographed and written up, including any battery or drive system alert.
State of charge, range and energy use
The range and energy consumption the car itself reports are recorded, so you can see how the car has actually been used rather than how the seller describes it.
Drive units and underbody
Front and rear drive units checked for leaks and damage, along with the underbody shields, subframes and steering rack, photographed as far as is reachable from the ground.
Tires, wheels and brakes
Tread depth measured in 32nds on every tyre, wheels checked for curb rash and bends, and pads and rotors photographed. Surface rust on rotors is common on EVs and is reported as what it is.
Interior, controls and electronics
Seats, carpets, headliner and trim photographed and described, then the screen, climate, windows, seats, sound system, cameras, frunk and the phone key or key card all tested and recorded.
Body, paint and prior repair
Every panel photographed and assessed, with panel gaps, paint mismatch, overspray, filler and sanding marks checked for signs of previous repair. The glass roof, windshield, lights and mirror caps are checked for chips and cracks.
Road test
You drive it, on local roads and the highway. Steering pull, brake feel, regenerative braking, acceleration, vibration and noises are all recorded, plus any warning that appears while driving.
Battery pack check
What we can genuinely tell you about the pack
We inspect the battery pack visually from the ground: the front, rear and both sides, photographed, looking for scrapes, dents, leaks, swelling, corrosion and damaged shields. We read the state of charge, range and energy use shown in the vehicle, and we record any active battery or EV system warning.
What we photograph on the pack
The front, rear, driver side and passenger side of the pack, from ground level, as far under as is reachable. Anything visible on the pack is photographed close up: a scrape, a dent, a leak, swelling, corrosion or a damaged shield.
What we read from the car
State of charge, the range the car reports, energy use, and any battery or EV system warning on the display. If the car is showing a battery alert, that is photographed and written up.
What we will not do
No external reader or diagnostic tool is plugged in, no cover or shield is removed, and no high voltage cable is ever touched or disconnected. We do not report battery health, state of health or capacity.
Be careful with anyone who offers you a battery state of health percentage from a walkaround inspection. There is no way to produce that number without a proper capacity test on the car, and no inspection company doing a 90 minute visit is performing one. What we can tell you is what the pack looks like from underneath, what the car reports, and whether it is throwing a warning. That is a real answer to a real question, and it is the answer we give.
The HW4 check
Is it running HW4 or HW3?
The Autopilot computer is read straight off the car's own screen and photographed. It is a two minute check that most buyers never make, and it is the difference between a car that supports the current hardware path and one that does not.
- HW4 cars support the current Full Self-Driving hardware path. HW3 cars are on the older computer, and that difference is worth real money at resale.
- A car advertised with Full Self-Driving is only worth what its hardware supports. Reading the computer off the screen is how you confirm what you are actually buying.
- Autopilot strikeouts are recorded on the car. A car with strikeouts on it has been misused, and they follow the vehicle, not the driver.
How the inspector reads it
- 1Controls, then Software, then Additional Vehicle Information.
- 2The Autopilot computer line is photographed exactly as the car displays it: HW3, HW4 or other.
- 3The software version is photographed from the same screen, and checked against over-the-air recalls.
- 4The Self-Driving menu is opened and any Autopilot strikeouts are recorded.
On non-Tesla electric vehicles the driver assist package shown in settings is photographed instead.
Charging test
We plug it in and confirm it charges
Reading a car's specifications is not the same as watching it accept a charge. We connect it, watch it start, photograph the charge rate on screen, and put both photographs in your report.
Plugged in and confirmed charging
The car is connected to the dealer charger or a mobile connector and left until it is genuinely charging. A photograph of the cable connected to the car, and a photograph of the screen showing the active charge rate, both go in the report.
Charge port, door and latch
The port is inspected up close for bent pins, damage to the door, and a latch that does not seat. A damaged charge port is a repair you want to know about before you buy, not after.
Stated honestly when it cannot be done
Some sellers have no charger available. When that happens the report says so plainly, in the same report, rather than leaving you to assume it was tested. DC fast charging is only tested where the location has one and the seller agrees.
Pricing
Two packages, both built for an electric vehicle
Tesla inspections are priced as electric vehicle inspections, because that is what they are. Two packages, both of which include the battery pack photographs, the charging test and the HW4 or HW3 hardware check.
EV Standard Inspection
$219
Get your inspection report within 24 hours.
- Full inspection by an experienced, vetted inspector
- Road test
- Battery pack underside inspection for impacts, dents, scrapes and corrosion (vehicle raised or jacked where the seller allows)
- Charging test and charge port inspection
- State of charge, range and energy use readout
- EV system warnings and fault alerts check
- Front and rear drive unit inspection for leaks and damage
- Driver assist and Autopilot hardware check (including Tesla HW3 or HW4)
Plus 7 more checks, all listed at checkout.
See a sample Market Check →EV Complete Inspection
$279
Includes RIZQ Market Check, our nationwide search for comparable vehicles and better deals.
- Everything in EV Standard
- RIZQ Market Check: nationwide search for better deals on the same vehicle
- CARFAX vehicle history report
- Itemized repair estimate
- Same-day service
The EV inspection is its own inspection
Not a petrol inspection with a battery note stapled on. The EV form was built from a real field inspection of a Tesla Model S Plaid, and it covers the pack, the charging system, the drive units, the software and the Autopilot hardware.
We tell you what a walkaround cannot know
No battery state of health figure, because nobody can produce one honestly from an inspection. What you get instead is the pack photographed, the car reporting its own range and energy use, and every warning on the screen written down.
Report within 24 hours
Photographs of every section, the RIZQ inspection score and verdict, estimated repair costs at EV labor rates, and the remaining battery and drive unit warranty.
We do not just inspect the car. We check whether it is the right one.
Every EV Complete inspection includes RIZQ Market Check, a nationwide search for comparable vehicles. Our team searches the market for the same make, model and year, compares price, mileage and history, and shows you the options that offer better value. You get the inspection, the repair costs, a fair offer range and real alternatives, all in one report.
Nationwide search
Listings across the country, not just your area.
Side by side
Price, mileage and history compared against your car.
Fair offer range
Based on J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book and live listings.
The sample report
A real Tesla report, before you book
The report below is from a 2023 Tesla Model S Plaid that RIZQ inspected, published with the customer name and VIN removed. It is the same format you receive on every electric vehicle: the battery pack photographed from all four sides, the Autopilot hardware screen showing the car's computer, the charging test, the software version and active alerts, the RIZQ score and verdict, and the Market Check.
2023 Tesla Model S Plaid
Full EV inspection report, customer name and VIN removed.
Ask us for the full Model S Plaid report and we will send it straight over. Call (952) 563-7444 or email support@rizqvehicleinspection.com.
See a real report before you book
Tap either report below to open it: one that passed, and one that did not.
Questions
Tesla inspection questions, answered
What buyers ask us most before inspecting a used Tesla.
Book your Tesla inspection
Tell us about the Tesla
Choose your package, tell us the vehicle and where it is, and you go straight to secure checkout.
EV Complete
$279
Inspect it before you buy it
The battery pack, the charging system, the Autopilot hardware and every warning on the screen, photographed and written up within 24 hours.
Questions first? Call or text (952) 563-7444.