After handover terms are chosen, this guide covers observable condition, matching records and return status. Road trips and city parking are separate tasks. This is not vehicle selection, liability or insurance advice, or professional inspection.
For an immediate hazard, leave and contact staff. Do not remain for photographs or drive with an unresolved safety concern.
1. Bring the handover inputs together
Keep together: supplier; pickup/return place and time; vehicle; driver; base charge; deposit; mileage or energy terms; included items; late or one-way conditions. Mark each confirmed, pending or not applicable. Unknown is not zero; a pending deposit is not received.
A Beijing transport notice dated 26 November 2021 discusses matching plate and contract, joint inspection and a signed record, return details, and settlement. It is Beijing-specific historical guidance, not nationwide document requirements. Checked 25 September 2026.
Give required identity, plate and booking details privately through the authorised channel.
2. Check the handover while parked
While safely parked where allowed, match vehicle, order and form. Record visible existing scratches, dents or obvious glass/lamp-cover damage, plus mileage and energy shown by staff. Do not start the vehicle for this check, remove covers, look underneath, road-test or test brakes.
Check confirmed keys, cards or child seat; ask price and unit for chargeable items. Keep images private and exclude people and documents. A photograph alone does not determine liability or resolve a dispute.
If identity, condition or safety remains unclear, do not drive. Ask for inspection, a record update or another vehicle. If no acceptable solution is reached, check another established transport option; cancellation still does not guarantee a refund.
3. Make both records agree before signing
Describe location + observation + extent: “existing surface scratch on the right front wing”. Compare both records; ask staff to add omissions and timestamp them. A blank or “we know” is not a specific entry.
The vehicle listed in the order is ___; the vehicle presented here is ___. At ___ I can see ___, while the form says ___. Included items, mileage or energy are ___. Please update differences, then confirm pickup time, return place/time, base charge, deposit and pending charges.
This aligns records; it does not decide safety, liability or compensation. Keep a readable copy before signing.
4. Invented example: wrong vehicle and old scratch
An order shows fictional plate ending A, while the presented vehicle's plate ends B. The traveller asks whether this is an entry error or a replacement. Correct an entry error; for a replacement, recheck the confirmed type, price and terms, and update the record only after the traveller agrees. A changed record alone is not consent to drive away. A right-front scratch is also absent, so staff are asked to record its location and condition. Continue only when both differences are resolved and readable.
No real plate or supplier is represented. A photograph alone does not determine liability or resolve a dispute. Unconfirmed identity or safety means no driving: request inspection or alternative transport.
5. Separate completed and pending items at return
Return at the confirmed place/time with time for inspection. Recheck vehicle, visible condition, mileage or energy, keys and included items. Obtain a record of the actual return time and vehicle-acceptance status. Use unattended return only under a confirmed process; parking alone does not prove handover.
A Xinjiang market-regulator notice dated 1 August 2024 recommends handover images, itemised-charge checks and final-amount confirmation. It does not set a universal deadline. Checked 25 September 2026.
Label money separately: base charge confirmed; new charge pending explanation; final amount confirmed; deposit pending return; refund received. Ask the supplier or original platform about unknown lines. Pending is not settled. Put shared final costs in the travel expense ledger, while pending items stay pending.
6. Copyable pickup and return card
- Supplier; pickup/return place and time: ___
- Order/presented vehicle; match: ___ / ___ / ___
- Visible condition, location and extent: ___
- Mileage, energy, included items: ___
- Base charge, deposit, terms, pending charges: ___
- Added notes and confirmation time: ___
- Safety concern/action; not driven if unresolved: ___
- Actual return time, vehicle-acceptance record, returned items: ___
- Final/pending/deposit/refund status: ___
- Next channel and review time: ___
Pages checked: 25 September 2026. This workflow is not mechanical diagnosis, liability allocation, insurance advice or a refund promise.