How do you take rental car photos and video that hold up as evidence?

Almost everyone takes a few photos of a rental car. Far fewer of those photos still help when a damage claim arrives six weeks later. A blurry shot of a bumper, with no date and no way to tell which car it is, does not prove much. Good evidence shows three things: which car, when, and that the mark was already there or was not there at all. These tips are about making your photos do exactly that.

What makes a photo count as evidence?

Consumer centres keep returning to the same points. ECC Malta advises taking time and date stamped photos of the car, especially when no staff member is there at return. ECC-Net recommends collecting dated photos and video. And ECC Czech Republic advises keeping photos with their metadata, meaning the time and place stored in the file. It describes a Czech consumer whose five high-resolution photos from the pick-up day, with metadata, helped dispute a damage charge.

So the goal is not more photos, but photos that can be checked.

1Keep the metadata switched on

Your phone writes the date and time into each photo file, and the location if location services are allowed for the camera. Check this before your trip, not at the desk. Also check that the phone's date, time and time zone are set automatically.

2Start with something that identifies the car

Begin with the number plate, then a wide shot of the car in its parking bay with the station sign or building in view. That links the rest of the series to this car, at this place.

3Film one continuous walk-around

Walk slowly around the car once, without stopping the recording, at about one step per second. Then go round again closer to the panels. A single unbroken video is hard to dispute, because nobody can say a side was left out. ECC Austria advises photographing and filming the entire vehicle at pick-up, including dents and scratches.

4Add close-ups with a reference

For every mark, take one shot from about two metres, so the position on the car is clear, and one close-up. Put a key, a coin or your finger next to small marks, so the size can be judged. A close-up on its own shows a scratch, but not where it is.

5Use the light, do not fight it

Low sun and shade hide scratches. Reflections from a glossy panel can create marks that are not there. Change your angle so the light falls along the panel, not straight onto it. In the dark, use the phone torch held at a low angle, and film rather than photograph. If the light is really poor, say so on the pick-up form and note it in a message to the company.

6Do not forget the places claims come from

Wheels and rims, the windscreen, the roof if you can see it, the lower edge of the bumpers and the interior. Then the dashboard with the engine on, showing fuel or charge level, mileage and any warning lights. ECC Austria advises photographing the fuel gauge and odometer at return.

The difference between a weak and a strong photo

7Repeat the same sequence at return

Your return photos are what answers a claim about damage after the rental. Use the same order, so the two sets can be compared panel by panel. Konsumentverket advises documenting the car's condition with photos or video yourself if you return it outside opening hours. Read which photos to take when you return the car, and for the pick-up shot list photos at pick-up.

8Store the originals safely

• Back up the original files to a cloud service or computer the same day.
• Some messaging apps compress photos and strip the metadata, so send copies, not your only versions.
• Put everything in one folder named after the booking: photos, video, contract, condition report and receipts.
• Keep it until the deposit is released and the time for later charges has passed.

Our evidence mode helps you take the photos in a fixed order and keeps them together with the date and time.

Photos are strongest with paperwork

Photos work best together with a signed condition report at pick-up and a return report. If a mark is on your photos but not on the form, have it added before you leave. If a claim arrives anyway, your photos become the core of your objection. Read which evidence you need to dispute a damage claim and how to dispute a damage claim, step by step.