A vehicle inspection checklist is the printed sheet a technician marks while checking a car: tires, brakes, fluids, battery, lights, belts, suspension and exhaust, each scored Pass, Needs Attention or Fail. Below are five free versions for auto repair shops, in PDF and Word, from a 20-point quick check to a full multi-point inspection.
One sheet does not fit every visit. An oil change gets a ten-minute walk-around. A brake complaint needs pad and rotor measurements in millimeters. A used car the customer is thinking of buying needs the whole vehicle, by area, with a road test. That is why this page has five forms instead of one, and a short guide to which one to grab.
Every form here is built for the shop, not the customer: technician and RO number at the top, three-level scoring, a notes column for measurements, and signature lines. Print the PDF or edit the Word file with your shop name.
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Five inspection forms for auto repair shops. PDF is print-ready; Word is editable so you can add your shop name and logo.
Multi-Point Inspection Checklist (MPI)
The full 40-item shop inspection: tires, brakes, fluids, battery, lights, belts, suspension, exhaust
Download PDFDownload WordVehicle Inspection Form
General inspection by area: exterior, interior, under hood, under vehicle, road test. Pass / Attn / Fail / N/A
Download PDFDownload WordBrake Inspection Checklist
Front and rear with measurement fields: pad and rotor thickness, hydraulics, pedal, parking brake, road test
Download PDFDownload WordTire Inspection Checklist
Per-tire grid for LF / RF / LR / RR / spare: tread depth in 32nds, pressure, DOT date, wear pattern, TPMS
Download PDFDownload Word20-Point Pre-Service Check
One page, ten minutes, every vehicle that comes in. Fluids, under hood, lights, tires and brakes
Download PDFDownload WordYou’ve got the checklist. Now stop re-printing it.
A printed sheet works once. Then it goes in a folder and nobody looks at it again.
- ✓Run the inspection on your phone, right at the lift.
- ✓Attach photos to the repair order — proof the customer can actually see.
- ✓Every inspection stays in that vehicle’s history, not in a drawer.
- ✓Send it as a PDF with your shop’s logo, before the customer asks.
No credit card. No demo call. Cancel anytime.
Which inspection checklist do you need?
Match the form to the visit. If in doubt, the multi-point inspection covers the most ground in the least time.
| Situation | Use this form | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Any service visit, oil change, tire rotation | 20-Point Pre-Service Check | Ten minutes, one page, catches the common upsells and the safety items |
| Full inspection with every visit (the shop standard) | Multi-Point Inspection Checklist | 40 items across all systems, three-level scoring, the sheet most customers recognize |
| Walk-around by area: exterior, interior, under hood, under vehicle, road test | Vehicle Inspection Form | Organized by where the tech is standing, not by system; includes N/A |
| Brake complaint, noise, pulsation, or MPI flagged brakes | Brake Inspection Checklist | Measurement fields for pads and rotors, hydraulics, pedal, road test |
| Tire complaint, uneven wear, vibration, or seasonal swap | Tire Inspection Checklist | Per-tire grid: tread in 32nds, pressure, DOT date, wear pattern |
Multi-point inspection checklist (MPI)
The MPI is the shop standard: one sheet, about 40 items, grouped by system. Tires and wheels, brakes, fluids, battery and charging, lights and wipers, belts and hoses, suspension and steering, exhaust, filters, HVAC, under-vehicle leaks. Each line gets Pass, Needs Attention or Fail, plus a notes column for the number that backs it up: tread depth, pad thickness, battery CCA.
Use it on every vehicle that goes on a lift. It is the document that protects you when a customer says nobody told them about the brakes, and it is the document that sells the brakes when you show them the sheet.
Download: Multi-Point Inspection Checklist (MPI) (PDF) · Word version
Vehicle inspection form (general)
Same scoring, different order. Instead of grouping by system, this form follows the technician around the car: exterior, interior, under hood, under vehicle, tires and brakes, road test. It adds an N/A column, because a walk-around on a truck without a cabin filter should not show a Fail.
Reach for it on used-car checks, fleet intake, pre-purchase inspections, and any time the customer asks for the whole vehicle rather than a service visit. It is the form most people mean when they search for a vehicle inspection form or sheet.
Download: Vehicle Inspection Form (PDF) · Word version
Brake inspection checklist
Brakes are where a checkbox is not enough. This sheet has a Measure column next to Pass / Needs Attention / Fail so the tech writes pad thickness per wheel (inner and outer), rotor thickness against the minimum stamped on the rotor, and drum diameter on the rear. Hydraulics get their own section: fluid level and moisture, master cylinder, lines, flex hoses, ABS sensors. Then pedal feel, parking brake on an incline, and a road test for pull, pulsation and noise.
Most manufacturers call for pad replacement at 3 mm (about 2/32 in) or less; write the spec you used in the notes so the number means something later.
Download: Brake Inspection Checklist (PDF) · Word version
Tire inspection checklist
A grid, not a list: five columns for LF, RF, LR, RR and spare, and a row for each check. Tread depth at inner, center and outer in 32nds (three readings catch alignment wear that one reading misses). Measured pressure next to the door-jamb spec. DOT date code, because a tire with full tread and eight years on it is still a replace. Wear pattern, sidewall damage, valve stem, TPMS, lug torque.
Below the grid: rotation, alignment, balance, and replace recommendations with a yes / no, so the advisor can quote from the sheet.
Download: Tire Inspection Checklist (PDF) · Word version
20-point pre-service check
The quick version for every car that comes in, including the ones that came in for something else. Twenty numbered items on one page: five fluids, five under-hood, five visibility and lights, five tires and brakes. Scored OK / Advise / Urgent instead of Pass / Fail, because the goal here is to advise, not to certify.
Ten minutes while the car is on the lift for the oil change. If you only adopt one form from this page, this is the one that changes your average ticket.
Download: 20-Point Pre-Service Check (PDF) · Word version
Inspection checklist, form, or sheet: is there a difference?
No. They are three names for the same document, and the name changes with who is talking. Technicians say sheet (“grab an inspection sheet”). Owners and advisors say checklist. Forms vendors and software say form. A 20-point, 32-point, 40-point or 100-point inspection is the same idea with a different count: dealers get to 100 by splitting each system into smaller lines, not by checking more of the car.
What matters is that the document has the tech’s name, the RO number, a date, a three-level score, room for measurements, and a signature. Every form on this page has all six.
How to use Pass / Needs Attention / Fail
Three levels, not two, because the middle one is where the revenue is. Pass means within spec today. Needs Attention means it will not pass next time: 4/32 in of tread, pads at 4 mm, a battery testing weak. That is the item you quote and schedule, not the item you push. Fail is a safety concern that you do not release the car without discussing: metal-on-metal brakes, a bulged sidewall, a leaking brake hose.
Write the number next to the score. “Needs Attention” on its own is an opinion; “Needs Attention, 4/32 in” is a fact the customer can check.
Paper checklist or digital vehicle inspection (DVI)?
Paper is the right way to start: it costs nothing, it works the first day, and the forms above are as good as any software’s default template. The limit shows up later. Every sheet is one visit; the history lives in a folder; the photo of the worn pad is on somebody’s phone. A DVI captures the same checklist on a tablet, attaches the photos, and files it under the vehicle so the next visit starts from the last one. When the shop is re-printing and re-filing these sheets every day, that is the moment to move. We cover the tradeoffs in the digital vehicle inspection guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which vehicle inspection checklist should a repair shop use?
For most visits, the multi-point inspection checklist (MPI): it covers tires, brakes, fluids, battery, lights, belts, suspension and exhaust on one sheet, with Pass / Needs Attention / Fail scoring. Use the general vehicle inspection form when you need a walk-around by area (exterior, interior, under hood, under vehicle, road test), and the brake and tire checklists when the complaint or the MPI result calls for measurements.
What is the difference between a vehicle inspection checklist, form, and sheet?
Nothing that matters. All three names describe the same document: a printed list of items the technician checks and marks. Shops tend to say checklist or sheet; forms vendors say form. Pick whichever your shop already uses and keep the name consistent on the document, the work order, and the invoice.
How many points should a vehicle inspection have?
Enough to cover what fails and what sells: tires, brakes, fluids, battery, lights, belts and hoses, suspension. That is roughly 20 to 40 items. Our 20-point check is the quick version for every visit; the MPI is the full 40-item version. Dealers advertise 100 or 125 points by splitting the same systems into smaller lines. More points do not find more problems.
Should I charge for a multi-point inspection?
Most independent shops include the MPI free with any service and charge for a full diagnostic. The free inspection pays for itself: it documents the vehicle’s condition for liability, and it turns into approved work when you show the customer the sheet.
Can I add my shop name and logo to these checklists?
Yes. The Word versions are editable: open them in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, replace the shop name line at the top, add your logo, and save. The PDFs are print-ready as they are.
Do I still need a paper checklist if I use digital vehicle inspection software?
No, and that is the point of going digital. A DVI captures the same items on a tablet with photos, and stores the result under the vehicle so you can pull it up next visit. Paper is the right start; when you are re-printing and filing sheets every day, that is the sign to move. See our guide to digital vehicle inspections.
The inspection is only worth what you can prove later
A printed checklist protects you on the day. Six months later, what protects you is being able to find it.
- ✓Fill it out on your phone in the bay, with the photo attached right then.
- ✓It stays attached to the vehicle and to the repair order, findable by VIN.
- ✓Comes out as a PDF with your shop’s logo and a signature line.
The digital inspection is a Premium feature — and the 7-day trial includes it. No credit card, no annual contract.
