The vehicle damage photo checklist for auto claims

Good claim photos answer three questions for the reviewer: which vehicle is this, where is the damage, and what does it look like? This checklist covers the photos that answer them and how to take each one well. Feel free to adapt it for the instructions you send claimants.

Safety first

• Move to a safe place before taking photos. Never stand in traffic.
• Turn on hazard lights if the vehicle is near a road.
• Photograph the roof from the ground. Never climb on a vehicle.
• If anyone is hurt or the vehicle is leaking fluids, call for help before anything else.

The checklist

1. Identify the vehicle

• VIN. Look through the windshield at the base, on the driver’s side, or open the driver’s door and check the door jamb. Fill the frame and make sure every character is sharp.
• License plate. Straight on, close enough to read.
• Odometer. Turn the ignition on so the display lights up. Avoid reflections on the instrument panel.

2. Show the whole vehicle

• Front driver-side corner, at a three-quarter angle, so the front and the driver’s side are both visible.
• Front passenger-side corner.
• Rear passenger-side corner.
• Rear driver-side corner.
• Each full side, if your process calls for them. Step back far enough to fit the whole vehicle.

Taking all four corners, even where there’s no damage, helps reviewers tell new damage from old and confirms nothing was missed.

3. Document the damage

• Overview. Stand a few steps back so the photo shows where on the vehicle the damage is.
• Close-up. Move in until the damage fills most of the frame and shows what it is: a dent, scratch, crack or tear.
• Angle. For dents, take one more photo at a low angle along the panel. Reflections make dents much easier to see.
• Every damaged area. Repeat for each separate area of damage.

4. Add context when it applies

• Roof and hood for hail, with the camera angled low across the surface.
• Steering wheel and dashboard if airbags may have deployed.
• Interior for theft, vandalism or flood losses.
• Glass for windshield claims, from inside and outside.
• Wheels and tires if they were damaged.

Tips for photos a reviewer can use

• Light. Daylight works best. Avoid deep shade, direct midday glare and night photos where possible. If it’s dark, use the flash for close-ups.
• Hold steady. Tap to focus before taking the photo, and check it’s sharp before moving on.
• Clean the lens. A smudged phone lens is a common cause of hazy photos.
• Don’t zoom. Walk closer instead. Digital zoom loses detail.
• Landscape for the whole vehicle, portrait or landscape for close-ups, whichever fills the frame better.
• Leave the photos unedited. Filters and crops make it harder to assess damage.

Common reasons photos get sent back

Problem	Fix
Too dark or blurry	Move to better light, hold still, retake
Damage too far away	Add a close-up that fills the frame
Unclear where the damage is	Add an overview from a few steps back
VIN unreadable	Fill the frame, avoid windshield glare
Missing corners	Take all four, even undamaged ones

Let the capture flow do the checking

A checklist helps, but it still relies on the claimant reading it. Complete iQ Inspect builds these steps into a guided flow in the phone’s browser, with vehicle outlines showing where to stand. AI checks each photo as it’s taken and asks for a retake, with the reason, when it’s blurry, too dark or shows the wrong part of the vehicle.