Standards
Every car on OpenHood is documented the same way. Same angles, same questions, same paperwork. That is the whole point of this site.
Most car adverts are a sales pitch. Six photos taken at the flattering angle, in the good light, from the side that is not dented. You end up comparing adverts rather than comparing cars.
We ask every seller for the same nineteen things, including the ones that are inconvenient to photograph. A seller who will not photograph the underside is telling you something about the underside.
This page is the standard. Nothing gets listed without meeting it.
What we check: That the registered keeper matches the seller, insurance write-off status checked and disclosed, and that the mileage is consistent with the full MOT history.
What we do not check: We have not driven or inspected this car. Condition is the seller's disclosure and your own inspection.
Want a professional opinion before you buy? Arrange an independent inspection. You contract and pay the inspector directly; OpenHood takes no commission and carries no liability for the inspection itself.
The shot list
Twenty required photos and one video. All must be present, and pass an automated quality check, before a listing goes live.
Exterior
- 01Front three-quarter, level with the car, whole car in frame
- 02Head-on front, square to the car, both headlights in frame
- 03Rear three-quarter, level with the car, whole car in frame
- 04Straight-on rear, square to the car, both rear lights and the plate in frame
- 05Full nearside profile
- 06Full offside profile
Wheels
- 07Front nearside wheel and tyre, close, with the DOT date code readable
- 08Rear nearside wheel and tyre, same
- 09Rear offside wheel and tyre, same
- 10Front offside wheel and tyre, same
Underside and engine
- 11Underside front, phone placed on the ground, flash on
- 12Underside rear, same
- 13Engine bay with the bonnet open, the whole bay in frame
Interior
- 14Driver's seat bolster, pedals, and steering wheel in one frame
- 15Dashboard with the ignition on: mileage and any warning lights readable
- 16Front seats and dashboard from the open door
- 17Rear seats
Identity and paperwork
- 18VIN plate, readable
- 19V5C, top section, with the document reference number obscured
- 20Service book, every stamped page, plus any invoices
Video
- 21Cold start, 30 seconds minimum
Item 21 does more work than the other twenty combined. A cold start is very difficult to fake and very revealing: engine stone cold, filmed from key-in to a stable idle, with the exhaust visible in frame for the first 20 seconds. If a seller offers you a warm start video, ask yourself why.
The V5C document reference number must be obscured in the public photo. If it is visible, we ask for a replacement before the listing can go live.
The questionnaire
Answered on the record by the seller, published verbatim on the listing. A “no” that turns out to be untrue is a misrepresentation by the seller and grounds for removal.
History
- 03Has it ever been in an accident?
- 04Has any panel been replaced, resprayed or repaired?
- 05Has it been off the road for three months or more?
Mechanical
- 07What will need doing in the next twelve months?
- 08Any warning lights?
- 09Has the cambelt or chain been done?
- 10Any oil, coolant or fluid leaks?
Condition
- 12Is there any corrosion?
- 13Any interior damage, or electrics that do not work?
Use
- 16Has it been tracked, raced or rallied?
- 17Has it been stored outside?
Every seller answers the same list. Most answers are a single tap, and we ask for detail only where there is something to declare. We publish what they choose and what they write, as written. We do not edit them, tidy them up, or remove the awkward ones.
What we reject
Automatic rejection, no discussion
- ×Car built before 1980
- ×Seller is not the registered keeper, and cannot document why not
- ×Outstanding finance
- ×Recorded as stolen
- ×Insurance write-off, any category, undisclosed
- ×Mileage inconsistent with MOT history
- ×Refusal to complete the shot list
- ×Refusal to answer the questionnaire
Rejected on review
- ×Trade sellers posing as private sellers
- ×Cars listed simultaneously elsewhere at a different price
- ×Photos that are not of the actual car
- ×Photos so poor that the required items are not actually visible
- ×Descriptions we judge to be actively misleading
Not rejected, but must be disclosed prominently
- ✓Category N or S write-off, disclosed and evidenced
- ✓Imported vehicles
- ✓Significant modification
- ✓Known active faults
- ✓Outstanding recalls
We turn away roughly a third of what is submitted. That is not a problem with the process, it is the process. Every other marketplace makes money per listing, which means saying no costs them money. We would rather have forty cars you can trust than four hundred you cannot.