Get more from your test drive: the 30-minute checklist

Plenty of test drives follow the same pattern: out of the yard, a couple of turns on smooth bitumen, back in ten minutes. That quick loop tells you whether the car feels right at the wheel. Add twenty minutes and a plan, and it can also tell you how the car copes with the school run, the freeway merge and the tight car park at work.

A good dealership is happy to help you plan that. Ask for the time when you book, bring what you carry every week, and tell them the kinds of roads you'd like to drive. The checklist below splits that half hour into four parts, plus ten minutes of homework before you leave home.

Before you arrive: ten minutes at home

The best checks happen before you touch the car.

• Safety rating. Look the model up on ANCAP's website and check the rating and its datestamp together. ANCAP recommends the highest rating possible with a datestamp no older than six years, and notes the test criteria get tougher every three years.
• Recalls. Check open safety recalls for the model on the Australian Government's vehicle recalls site.
• Running costs. Compare fuel or energy use on the Green Vehicle website, which also has a home charging calculator for electric cars.
• Used car history. For a used car, ask for the VIN and service records. Run the $2 PPSR search closer to payment, because a clean result protects you only if the search is done at the right time.
• P-platers. If a provisional driver will use the car, check it's allowed for their licence stage (see the table below).

Minutes 0 to 5: the walk-around

Ask if the car can be left cold before you arrive, so you hear it start from cold. Walk around it in daylight. Look at the tyres, the gaps between panels and the glass, and check that every warning light on the dash comes on at start-up and then goes out. On a used car, compare the odometer with the service book. If anything doesn't line up, it's simply a question to ask the dealer.

Minutes 5 to 10: make it fit your life

This is the part most buyers rush. Before you drive anywhere:

• Set the seat and steering wheel to your driving position and check you can see the corners of the car and over your shoulder.
• Fit your child seat. Bring it with you, check the anchor points, and try it in the position you'll actually use.
• Load the boot with what you carry: the pram, the golf bag, the toolbox.
• Pair your phone and try the controls you'll use daily without looking down for long.

Thirty minutes on the roads you know tells you more than any spec sheet.

Minutes 10 to 25: drive the roads you know

Pick a route that matches your normal week. Include a highway merge, a hill start, rough or patched bitumen, and a tight park at the end. On the way, listen for cabin noise at speed, feel whether the car pulls to one side under braking, and notice how the driver-assist systems behave: lane keeping, adaptive cruise and the warnings they throw at you. Some drivers find them reassuring, others find them intrusive, and the test drive is the time to find out which you are.

Test an electric car the same way, then ask practical questions. The Green Vehicle website notes that real range depends on driving style, load and climate control, and that charging from a standard wall outlet is slow. Ask how you'd charge at home and what range the car shows after your drive.

If you plan to tow, tell the dealer what and how much, and have it noted. That helps them match you to the right car, and the consumer guarantees back you up: the ACCC treats a car that can't do something you told the dealer you needed as a possible major failure. A car's rated towing capacity comes from the manufacturer and must not be exceeded.

Minutes 25 to 30: back at the yard

Park up and let the car idle for a minute. Look underneath for drips, check the dash for any warning lights, and jot down your notes while they're fresh. A quick list of what you liked, what bothered you and what you still need to confirm is worth more than any impression you try to remember the next day.

The rules to know before you drive

In Queensland, a test drive or a mechanic's inspection doesn't end the used-car cooling-off right, but driving the car away does. On a used car, you can also arrange a pre-purchase inspection after the test drive; ask the dealer when it suits to have the car looked at.

Several states also stop provisional drivers from driving high-powered cars, which matters if the car is for a P-plater:

Summary of each licensing authority's published rules, checked 29 September 2026. Check the linked official source before buying.

The bottom line

A test drive is the moment a car stops being a listing and starts being yours to judge. Do the homework before you arrive, spend ten minutes making sure it fits your life, then drive the roads you'll use every week. Tell the dealership what you'd like to test when you book, and they can have the right car ready and the time set aside.