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2026-10-19
Before you drive off, confirm five things. Your insurance covers this exact car, the papers match it, the number plates and registration are sorted, the accessories you paid for are fitted, and the car is set up safely. Do all of it at the showroom, while the staff are still there to fix problems. Once you’re on the road, every fix gets harder.
Start here, because nothing else matters if you can’t legally drive off. Third-party insurance is mandatory under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. But the policy also has to match your car, or it may not protect you the way you expect.
Ask for the cover note or policy document before you get in. Check the start date, your name and address, the make and model, and the chassis and engine numbers. Those numbers should match the car exactly, one character at a time.
Why this matters: after an accident, the insurer reads the policy first. A wrong number can give them a reason to question the claim. Treat the cover note like the most important page in the file.
Signing the delivery challan means you accept the car in the condition written on it. So read it slowly, one line at a time. Check the model, variant, colour, chassis and engine numbers, odometer reading, fuel level, and the accessories listed.
Then ask for your copies of the invoice, the sale certificate (Form 21), and the warranty card. Ask for the owner’s manual and service booklet too. Keep these with the papers you submitted at booking, so the whole purchase lives in one folder.
Why this matters: the challan and invoice prove what you bought and at what price. A wrong colour or a missing accessory is easy to fix now and much harder to prove later. Honestly, a rushed signature is the one people regret.
The number plates should be HSRP, short for high-security registration plates. They carry a unique laser-coded number and tamper-proof locks, which make them hard to swap or copy. Compare the plate number with the paperwork the dealer gives you. HSRP is required on new vehicles, so a car without one isn’t ready to go.
Next, ask how the registration works. Dealers usually file the paperwork on the Vahan portal, the national vehicle registration database. The registration certificate (RC) often arrives by post later, so get the application number and the expected RC date in writing.
Also ask whether the FASTag is active and linked to this car’s number. A tag linked to the wrong vehicle can cause toll trouble on your first trip.
Walk around the car with your order sheet. Check the floor mats, mud flaps, seat covers, a dash camera, or anything else you paid for. Test anything with wiring, like a camera or a sensor, so you know it works.
Ask whether each accessory is company-fitted or aftermarket. Company-fitted accessories often sit under the car’s warranty. Aftermarket ones may have their own terms, and dealers vary in how clearly they explain that.
Why this matters: you paid for these at the deal stage, so a missing item is money already spent. Tick each one off before you sign the challan. A camera that shows a blank screen is a warranty question, and it’s far easier to raise today than in three weeks.
Adjust the seat, mirrors, and steering wheel before you pull out. Pair your phone with the infotainment screen, then test the horn, lights, and indicators. Start the car and check that the warning lights go off within a few seconds.
Check the tyre pressure with a gauge. The recommended figure is on the sticker inside the driver’s door, so use that number and not one you remember from a forum. Pressure also changes how much fuel it uses, so don’t pump the tyres above the sticker figure.
Check the fuel gauge and note the level on the challan. Some dealers hand over a full tank, and some hand over a small amount. Either is fine as long as it’s written down.
If the car is an EV, ask how to charge it at home, whether the wall charger is installed, and how the app works. Ask for the charging cable and the owner’s guide too.
Why this matters: a car you can’t see out of or reach comfortably is a risk on day one. Tyres can also lose pressure during transit and storage, so a two-minute check is worth doing.
Start the engine and let it settle for a minute. Then pull away gently and drive on quiet roads first. Brake a few times, turn the steering from side to side, and listen for any noise that doesn’t belong.
Many drivers idle for minutes before moving off. But modern engines warm up faster when you drive gently, so you don’t need to wait long. Just keep the first few kilometres easy.
Ask the dealer about break-in advice and the first service. Some brands ask for gentle driving in the first few hundred kilometres. The owner’s manual and service booklet list the details, so use those as your source.
Why this matters: the first drive is the first real test of the brakes, steering, and engine. Keep it to a short loop on familiar roads. If a warning light stays on or a noise worries you, head back to the showroom.
Stop if you find anything that affects safety. That includes a warning light that stays on, a brake problem, a wrong engine or chassis number, or missing insurance details. Don’t sign the challan until those items are fixed.
Note minor marks on the challan, take photos, and ask for a written repair date for anything that needs fixing. If the dealer won’t put it in writing, that’s worth noticing.
The body, fluids, and electronics are covered in more detail in our pre-delivery inspection checklist. Read that first if you haven’t inspected the car yet, then use this post for the handover itself.
Why this matters: once you drive away, the dealer has less reason to rush a fix. A written note on the challan is your best evidence. If a clear defect is refused a fix, you can raise a complaint under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, but a note at handover makes that conversation much simpler.
Sanjay, a government employee and a first-time car buyer, collected a petrol compact SUV on a Saturday morning. The car was washed and waiting, with the keys and papers on the desk. The sales manager was in a hurry and asked him to sign the challan quickly.
Sanjay asked for the insurance cover note first. The start date and his name were correct. But the engine number on the cover note was one character off from the number stamped on the car. He only spotted it because he checked the numbers one at a time.
He didn’t sign. The dealer’s staff agreed it looked like a typing error, and the insurer had to issue a corrected cover note. Sanjay waited over a cup of tea, and he didn’t drive the car until the corrected note arrived by email.
Then he checked the tyres with a gauge and found the front pair about 4 psi low. He filled them at a petrol pump on the way home, using the figure from the sticker in the driver’s door. He also noticed the mud flaps he’d paid for weren’t fitted. The dealer fitted them the next morning.
Here’s why the engine number mattered most. If he’d been in an accident on the drive home, a mismatch on the cover note could have given the insurer grounds to question the claim. The tyres and mud flaps were small problems, but they were easy to handle because he checked before he drove off.
Check the insurance cover note, the delivery challan and invoice, the number plates and registration status, the accessories, and the basic set-up. Those five areas are the hardest to fix once you’ve driven away.
Yes. Third-party insurance is mandatory under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Make sure the cover note is in your hand and matches the car before you start the engine.
It depends on the start date printed on the cover note. That date should cover the day you drive off. If it starts later, ask the dealer or insurer to correct it before you leave.
Often not. The RC usually arrives by post after registration is processed, so ask for the application number and the expected date in writing.
Dealers handle the legal side of registration, and the arrangement should be clear before you leave. Ask the dealer exactly how the car is registered and covered for the drive, and get the answer in writing.
It’s the form that records the car’s condition, numbers, accessories, and fuel level when you take delivery. Signing it means you accept the car as written, so read it before you sign.
HSRP stands for high-security registration plate. It’s required on new vehicles, and the dealer should fit it before handover. Check that the plate number matches your paperwork.
Note it on the challan, take photos, and ask for a written repair date. Don’t sign until you’re happy with how the dealer plans to handle it.
There’s no fixed rule. Some dealers hand over a full tank, while others hand over a small amount. Write the level on the challan so there’s no argument later.
Drive gently, avoid hard braking where you can, and follow any break-in advice in the owner’s manual. If a warning light stays on, get it checked before you go further.
Many brands include a free early service, but the terms differ. The service booklet shows the schedule and what the free service covers.
It often starts from the invoice or delivery date, but the warranty card shows the exact start date. Check it before you sign, and keep it with the invoice.
Yes. You don’t have to take the car until the Stop items are fixed. Ask for the repairs in writing, with a date.
Only after you’ve checked the car and the papers. Signing before the check gives up your best chance to get problems fixed for free.
Delivery day feels like the finish line, but it’s really the last checkpoint. Check the insurance first, read the papers before you sign, and set up the car before you leave. Rules, warranty terms, and dealer practices can differ by brand and state, so confirm the details with the dealer and the manufacturer in writing.
