Whether it’s used or new, a test drive is one of the most important steps you can take when buying a vehicle. Getting behind the wheel before you agree to a sale lets you make sure the car will work for you and helps you identify any significant issues. A traditional test drive only lasts up to an hour, but can make or break how happy you are with your vehicle purchase. So here’s how to test drive a car and what you should be paying attention to.
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Learning how to take a thorough and effective test drive can save you from problems or regret down the road. Here’s a comprehensive guide to test driving a vehicle before you buy.
Go back to Section 7: Evaluating the history of a used car
Why is it important to test drive a car?
A new vehicle is one of the most expensive purchases most people will ever make, and it’s one that will directly impact your life for years. By test driving a car before you buy it, you can be more confident that the car you choose will meet your needs in the long term. A test drive can also help you identify issues that might be expensive to repair, saving you a lot of money.
Test driving has become a more involved process as vehicles have become more complicated. There are still the traditional aspects such as the powertrain, steering, and brakes. But now, we also need to consider things like infotainment usability and tech-heavy safety features. Taking a test drive is more important than ever to ensure these features all work as advertised and that you’re comfortable with them before you agree to a purchase.
This is especially important because once you sign a bill of sale, that car is yours. There are no cooling-off periods in Canada, and you can’t go back and change the terms of the agreement once it’s been finalized. Some dealerships offer limited-time customer satisfaction guarantees, which would need to be stipulated in your contract to be valid. But otherwise, you’d have to be able to prove in court that a seller knew about major issues with the vehicle but didn’t disclose them to have any sort of recourse once the deal is done. It’s far easier to invest the time in a thorough test drive up front than to deal with the fallout later.
A comprehensive vehicle test driving checklist
Below, you’ll find a vehicle test driving checklist you can use to ensure you review every aspect of the vehicle during your test drive. We recommend downloading this and bringing it with you so you can go through it while you’re with the car. (But read it over first: there are a few items we recommend we bring along if they apply to you.) If there are any family members who will be in the car with you regularly, bring them along so they can check things off as you drive and see whether the car works for them, too. Otherwise, consider bringing a friend to help you keep track and offer a second opinion.
Checking the vehicle’s exterior
- Start your test drive when the vehicle is cold if you can. Issues are more likely to make themselves known from a cold start than after the car has already been warmed up.
- Check the vehicle’s exterior for damage such as dents, scratches, and rust.
- Look for chips or cracks in the windshield and windows.
- Pop the hood and check that the latch connects and releases correctly. Check the level and condition of the engine oil, inspect the battery terminals for corrosion, and look over the engine for signs of rust, wear, wires chewed by wildlife, or other damage.
- Look under the car for signs of leaks. If it’s a hot day and the air conditioning is operating, some water run-off is normal. But there should not be fresh dark stains visible on the asphalt below the engine.
- Make sure all four tires have a safe amount of tread and the rims are not dented. If there’s a second set of tires for the opposite season, ask to check the tread and rims on those, too. Inspect the spare tire or tire inflation kit if present.
- Inspect the trunk/cargo area to make sure the lid/liftgate opens correctly and there will be enough space for your needs. If you have a large item you use regularly such as a hockey bag or a dog crate, bring it with you and place it in the cargo area to check the fit. If the car has a hands-free opening option, make sure it activates correctly.
- Make sure the gas panel and gas cap open and close properly.
- Start the car and have a family member or friend help with testing the lighting. Check the headlights, hazard lights, left and right signals, brake lights, and high beams so you can be sure they’re working and undamaged. Make sure you check the hazards/signals at the front and back of the vehicle.
- Look at the exhaust while the car is running. Ensure the area around the exhaust is clean and the exhaust itself is colourless. If the exhaust is blue, black, or thick grey or white, this often indicates an engine issue.
Checking the interior
- Notice any unusual smells as you get into the car. Some odours, such as cigarette smoke, are more of an annoyance and you’ll need to assess your tolerance for them. But a musty odour could be a sign of water damage, and an interior that smells like gas or fumes might indicate a potentially dangerous exhaust leak. These indicate more serious issues.
- Inspect the interior for damage to the carpet, seat upholstery, or headliner. Make sure all buttons and panels are present and aligned properly.
- Watch the instrument cluster carefully as you turn on the car. If any lights stay illuminated such as the check engine light or oil light, this could be a sign of a significant problem.
- Make sure you can find a comfortable seating position, adjusting the seat and steering wheel as necessary. You should feel comfortable when you sit with your shoulders against the seatback and your legs and arms slightly bent. Make sure you can reach the infotainment and climate controls without having to lean forward. And did you bump your head as you got in?
- Adjust the centre and side mirrors and ensure the controls are working.
- Check all other seats to ensure the adjusters are working, and inspect all seat belts to make sure they’re undamaged and can connect and retract properly. Fold down all the rear seats to make sure the process is intuitive and that the seats lie flat enough for your needs.
- If you have kids in car seats, bring the child seats along and install them in the car to ensure all connectors are in place and each seat can be secured correctly.
- Make sure you’ve got places in the car to stow the things you typically carry with you such as a wallet, handbag, phone, etc.
- Roll all the windows down and back up to check that the mechanisms are smooth.
- If there’s a sunroof or convertible roof, check there’s no damage to the sunroof and that it opens and closes smoothly.
- Test the windshield wipers, including activating the washer fluid jets. If there’s a rear wiper, do this for the rear window as well.
- Test the horn.
- Check that the heated seats and steering wheel warm up quickly.
- Blast the air conditioning and check how long it takes to get cold. If you don’t feel a difference in front of the vent within 15 to 20 seconds or throughout the cabin within a couple of minutes, the AC may not be working efficiently. Air conditioning issues can be expensive to fix, so it’s important to inspect this carefully.
- Test the stereo. Turn it up to the highest level you can tolerate and listen for speakers that rattle or aren’t working.
- If the car is not brand new, find its current fuel economy reading. This is typically in the trip computer on the instrument cluster or in the infotainment system. Make sure the reading aligns with the estimated rating for the model, which you can find in Natural Resources Canada’s Fuel Consumption Guide. (Note: the older a car is, the more likely its fuel consumption ratings will be slightly higher than the original ratings.)
- If the car is new enough to have phone connectivity, connect your phone before you pull away for your test drive and make sure the process goes smoothly. If there’s a wireless charging pad, make sure your phone connects to it properly. If you’ll be charging your phone via USB, bring a cable and test this connection and any others throughout the cabin.
During your drive
- Assess how the suspension rides on rough pavement. It should ride over reasonably bumpy patches without being jarring or causing squeaks, clunks, and rattles.
- Test the steering by feeling for pulling, resistance, vibration, or too much freedom in the steering wheel.
- Check the brakes. Make sure they stop the vehicle effectively within a safe distance without any vibrations, squeaks, or shuddering.
- Try parallel parking. While you reverse, make sure the backup camera is working and that you’re comfortable with its position and resolution. Check your visibility and that the car maneuvers well into the tight space.
- Try using the infotainment and climate control systems while you’re driving. If you connected your phone earlier, make sure Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is working properly. Play with other system functions such as the map or radio to ensure you’re comfortable with using them while driving. Call someone to see how well you can hear each other.
- Find a highway on-ramp and punch the throttle. Check how well the car accelerates and that there’s enough power for you to confidently merge into traffic. Pay attention as the transmission moves through the gears to ensure it’s shifting smoothly. Notice as you’re merging whether the blind spot monitor kicks in and how comfortable you feel with your visibility.
- Get up to highway speed and feel for any vibrations or wobbles. Engage the cruise control and make sure you’re comfortable with it. Check that the cabin is quiet enough that you can still hold a conversation.
Consider test driving a car more than once
Different conditions, such as varying temperatures or the light difference from day to night, can alert you to different issues. If you’re seriously considering a vehicle, test drive it more than once if you can so you’ll have an opportunity to assess a different set of features such as the headlights or the climate systems.
Don’t hesitate to walk away
If you discover any problems that concern you during a test drive, or if a seller or salesperson is hesitant to let you test a car this thoroughly, you’re entirely within your right to take your business elsewhere. A car is an expensive purchase, and this is a decision you’ll need to live with for several years. If something feels off, don’t hesitate to walk away. There are plenty of cars out there.
Continue to Section 9: How to negotiate the price on a new car
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