Start with details you can check at home
Before travelling to see a car, ask the seller for its Israeli plate number, current mileage, asking price and ownership and usage details. Keep a short list of questions from the advert so you can focus the meeting on what remains unclear.
Enter the plate number in the autoil app to see available registration details, specifications and history. Compare the model, manufacture year and ownership category with the advert. A mismatch is a reason to ask questions; it is not proof by itself that the seller is being dishonest.
Documents and details to request
- An up-to-date vehicle licence: compare the registration number, vehicle and owner details with the car and seller. If someone is selling on the owner's behalf, ask about their authority to carry out the sale.
- Service records: ask for invoices or a service book with dates and mileage. Discuss any periods with no records.
- Repairs and previous use: ask about accident repairs, major replacement parts and rental, leasing or work use. Request supporting documents where available.
- Previous inspections: if a report is provided, check its date, plate number and who performed the inspection. Decide which findings need to be checked again.
If company, leasing or rental use appears, use the ownership types guide to separate what is recorded from the usage you need to discuss with the seller.
Read mileage alongside its date
If the report shows mileage recorded at the last roadworthiness test, read it alongside its reporting date where available. This is a reading from a specific time, not the car's mileage today.
Illustrative example: an earlier test records 82,000 km and the dashboard now shows 91,000 km. Consider the 9,000 km difference together with the time between readings. If today's reading is lower than an earlier record, ask for an explanation and documents. One field alone is not enough to establish odometer fraud.
For a step-by-step comparison and questions to ask when a reading is missing, read how to check reported mileage.
At the viewing: compare the record with the car
Check that the car matches the details you reviewed. Look at wear, tyres, warning lights and equipment promised in the advert. Write down questions and arrange a professional inspection where needed, particularly for things a database cannot assess.
A data overview does not diagnose the engine, brakes, chassis or battery. A licence expiry date does not describe the car's current mechanical condition. Use the report to prepare focused questions for an inspector, then discuss any findings with the seller.
Before making a decision
Resolve the gaps you found and consider the data, documents and inspection together. Confirming transfer restrictions or financial claims requires the relevant checks; a missing field in a report does not clear them.
Read which vehicle history you can check for data limitations, or how to read a vehicle report for an explanation of fields and statuses.
Further reading: official information about reported mileage (in Hebrew).