Vehicle inspection app
The vehicle inspection app that settles a damage dispute before the renter drives away
Most vehicle inspection apps are built for repair shops writing up a service estimate, or for drivers ticking a pre-trip checklist. Lexio is built for the moment a rental vehicle changes hands: guided photos at pickup, the same angles at return, every damage marked on the photo, and the customer's signature on both — all attached to the rental contract.
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Guided photo angles, so no side of the vehicle gets skipped
A free-form photo session always misses something — usually the corner where the damage turns up later. Lexio's camera walks the agent through a fixed set of views: front, front-left, rear-left, rear, rear-right, front-right, windshield, interior, trunk, and the dashboard for mileage and fuel — ten shots for a car. Motorcycles and scooters get their own shorter set of six views plus the dashboard. You choose which views your business requires, and extra photos can still be added freely. The date and time are stamped onto each image by default.
Damage marked on the photo itself, not described in a margin note
"Small scratch, rear left" on a paper form is an argument waiting to happen. In Lexio, the agent draws a box around the damage directly on the photo, picks its type — scratch, dent, crack, broken part, stain, or other — and adds a comment if needed. The annotated copy is saved next to the original photo, so the evidence shows exactly which mark was there and where. More on that in our car damage app page.
Pickup versus return, angle by angle
At return, the camera shows the pickup photo of the same angle in a corner of the screen, so the agent frames the shot the same way. Damage recorded at pickup is listed, and for anything found at return the agent answers one question: already there, or new? The inspection report then prints pickup and return photos side by side for each view — the comparison a customer, an insurer, or a small-claims judge actually needs to see.
Checklist, fuel, and mileage that turn into charges automatically
Beyond photos, each handover covers a short checklist — interior and exterior cleanliness, vehicle papers, safety kit, fluid levels — plus the fuel or charge level and the odometer. Because Lexio has both the pickup and the return readings, it calculates the return charges itself: missing fuel or charge (with a tolerance you set), distance over the included allowance, and late return. With a GPS tracker connected (Pro plan), mileage and fuel can be pre-filled.
Signed by the customer, attached to the rental contract
The customer signs on the phone or tablet at pickup and again at return. The inspection is not a loose PDF in someone's inbox: it's part of the rental file, and the contract document includes the pickup and return condition sections with the annotated photos and the signatures. If the customer isn't there at drop-off, the return can still be recorded — the agent logs the reason. Still on paper for now? Our free vehicle inspection form template follows the same structure.
Works in an underground parking lot with no signal
Handovers happen in parking garages, airport lots, and on the side of the road. The Lexio mobile app for iPhone and Android saves the inspection in progress on the device, and completed check-ins and check-outs are queued and synced automatically once the network comes back — nothing is lost if the connection drops mid-inspection.
From a new damage to a charge, without re-typing anything
When the return inspection finds new damage, the agent can enter the amount to bill, and it becomes a damage charge billed with the rental. The security deposit decision is made on the same screen: release it, keep part or all of it with a reason, or put it on hold until you decide. On the Pro plan, a damage claim can be opened directly from the return, with its photos and insurance details. To explain your policy to customers, see our guide to the rental car damage waiver.
Three kinds of vehicle inspection app
Search for a vehicle inspection app and you'll find three different jobs under the same name. Picking the right category matters more than picking the right brand.
| Situation | Lexio | Repair-shop inspection software | Driver inspection (DVIR) apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Rental businesses handing a vehicle to a customer | Repair shops inspecting a customer's car | Drivers checking their own vehicle before a trip |
| What the inspection leads to | A signed pickup and return record, then the final invoice | A repair estimate the customer approves | A defect report sent to maintenance |
| Comparing two moments | Pickup vs return, photo by photo, damage by damage | Not the point — one inspection per visit | Not the point — each trip stands alone |
| Fuel, mileage, deposit | Turned into return charges and a deposit decision | Not part of the job | Logged for compliance |
If you run a repair shop, a digital vehicle inspection tool such as AutoVitals or Tekmetric is built for your workflow. If your drivers need daily pre-trip and post-trip reports, a DVIR app is the right fit. Lexio is for the third job: renting a vehicle out and getting it back in the condition it left — with the proof to show it.
Frequently asked questions
See a pickup and return inspection, live
Guided photos, damage marking, side-by-side comparison, signature, and return charges — in one demo.