Buying advice
What to do on handover day
Two hours at the dealership decides how the first year goes. A methodical handover finds the faults while someone else is still obliged to fix them.
Ellen Marsh
Contributing editor, ownership
12 August 2026 · 8 min read
Handover is scheduled as a celebration and structured as a sales appointment. Dealers allocate ninety minutes, most of which is consumed by paperwork and a walk-round that moves faster than anyone can absorb. The result is that a substantial proportion of first-year warranty claims concern faults that were present on the forecourt.
Arrive with a written list and refuse to be hurried. A good dealer will not object; several we spoke to said they prefer it, because a customer who tests everything on site is a customer who does not return in week three.
Before you sign anything
Check the plated weights against the order. Retrofitted equipment reduces payload, and it is common for a towbar, solar array or bike rack to have been fitted after the specification was agreed. Ask for the weighbridge ticket if one exists.
Confirm the habitation service schedule and who performs it. Manufacturer water-ingress warranties are conditional on inspections at fixed intervals by approved workshops. A dealer 100 miles away is a genuine ownership cost.
The systems test
Run the fridge on all three power sources and leave it running through the appointment. Fill the fresh tank and run every tap until the pump stops cycling. Fire the heater and the water heater from cold and let them reach temperature. Test every light, including exterior and locker lighting. Open and close every window, blind, flyscreen and locker.
Ask for the leisure battery voltage under load, and for the charger to be demonstrated bringing it back up. This takes ten minutes and identifies a tired battery that will otherwise fail in November.
Documentation
You should leave with the habitation certificate, base vehicle service book, gas and electrical certification, appliance manuals, two sets of keys and the weights documentation. Anything promised verbally should be written on the order before you leave.
Photograph the vehicle inside and out in daylight on the day of collection. It costs five minutes and settles most subsequent disputes about damage.
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