Inspection prices in Dubai range from about AED 150 to over AED 700, and the cheap end and the expensive end are not doing the same job. Here is what separates them.
What the price buys
| Price | What you usually get |
|---|---|
| AED 150 to 250 | A visual check and a basic OBD scan. Twenty to thirty minutes. No paint gauge. |
| AED 250 to 400 | Visual, OBD, paint depth on main panels, road test. About an hour. |
| AED 400 to 600 | Full checkpoint list, paint depth on every panel, module-level scan, photo report. |
| AED 600 plus | All of the above on a lift, with undertray removed and a repair cost estimate. |
Our pricing
- Basic at AED 239: 180-point check, OBD scan, brakes, tyres and fluids, at the seller's location, report in three hours.
- Comprehensive at AED 379: 625-point inspection, paint depth on every panel, road test and OBD scan, accident and service history, a photograph of every fault, same-day report.
- Ultimate at AED 559: everything in Comprehensive, plus module-level diagnosis, under-body inspection on a lift, repair cost estimates and a call with your inspector.
How to judge an inspection before you book it
Price alone tells you little. These four questions tell you a lot:
- Do you use a paint depth gauge on every panel? If the answer is no, or only on panels that look suspicious, keep calling.
- Will the report include a photograph of each fault? Text-only reports are hard to use in a negotiation.
- Do you road test the car? A scan at idle misses gearbox and cooling faults.
- Are you connected to any dealer or garage? The answer must be no.
The cheapest inspection is rarely the cheapest outcome
A AED 150 check that misses a repaired chassis rail has cost you the difference between what you paid and what the car is worth, which on a mid-range saloon is tens of thousands of dirhams. The fee is the smallest number in this transaction. Choose on thoroughness.
What makes an inspection expensive to run
Understanding the cost base helps you judge a quote. The main inputs are the inspector's time, the equipment, and travel.
- A thorough inspection takes 60 to 120 minutes on site, plus report writing.
- A paint depth gauge, a professional multi-brand scanner and a tyre tread gauge together run into several thousand dirhams, and the scanner needs an annual software subscription.
- Mobile inspection means driving to the car, which across Dubai can be an hour each way.
- Lift access, where offered, means a workshop bay.
That is why a AED 150 quote is usually a twenty minute visual. There is no way to do the full job at that price, and anyone offering to is either not doing it or making the money somewhere else.
The conflict of interest to watch for
Some very cheap inspections are subsidised by a garage that expects to win the repair work, or by a dealer who wants a favourable report. Ask directly whether the inspector has any commercial relationship with a workshop or a seller. The answer should be a clean no.
Inspection cost against car value
| Car value | Sensible inspection spend |
|---|---|
| Under AED 20,000 | AED 200 to 250, or skip and budget for repairs |
| AED 20,000 to 60,000 | AED 250 to 400 |
| AED 60,000 to 150,000 | AED 380 to 560 |
| Above AED 150,000 | AED 550 plus, with module diagnosis and a lift |
Get the car checked before you pay
625 points, on site anywhere in the UAE, photo report the same day. From AED 239.