EV Risk IndexVehicle Purchase Buddy · Before You Sign
Check the deal before you sign.
Upload a dealer offer, finance sheet, lease quote, trade-in sheet, warranty add-on, or purchase contract and get a plain-language read of the deal — plus the exact questions to ask, in writing, before you sign.
For every vehicle, we check the deal. For EVs and hybrids, we also check the risk.
Use this if you're asking…
If you've typed any of these into a car-buying group, a forum, or a search bar, this is the page for you.
- "Is this admin fee normal?"
- "Can the dealer make me buy a protection package?"
- "Why is the final price higher than the advertised price?"
- "Can I refuse VIN etching, nitrogen, paint protection, or anti-theft add-ons?"
- "Is this EV battery warranty enough?"
- "Should I sign this finance or lease offer?"
- "Is my trade-in being undervalued?"
Free checklist: what to verify before signing a vehicle offer
Save this, screenshot it, or paste it into your group. These are the line items worth confirming on any offer — gas, diesel, hybrid, plug-in, or electric — before a signature goes down.
- Advertised price
- Out-the-door price
- Dealer fees
- Taxes and licensing
- Admin / documentation fees
- Freight / PDI / prep fees
- Warranty add-ons
- Protection packages
- Trade-in allowance
- Negative equity rolled in
- APR / interest rate
- Total cost of borrowing
- Lease mileage and buyout
- Deposit refund terms
- Open recalls by VIN
- Inspection report
- Battery / hybrid warranty
- EV charging equipment included
Common fee & offer questions
Short, practical answers — and the exact line to send the dealer in writing. We don't tell you a charge is illegal; we tell you what looks unclear and what to ask.
Is a dealer admin or documentation fee normal?
Admin and documentation fees are common, but two things vary by market: whether the fee is mandatory, and whether it's supposed to be inside the advertised price already. In several jurisdictions the advertised price is expected to be all-inclusive, with only specific taxes and levies added on top — so a fee stacked on afterward is worth questioning.
Can I refuse dealer add-ons like nitrogen, VIN etching, or paint protection?
Add-on products and services are generally meant to be optional and requested by the buyer — not pre-loaded onto the offer. If nitrogen tire fill, anti-theft VIN etching, paint or fabric protection, or wheel locks appear and you didn't ask for them, you can question them before signing.
What is PDI or freight — and can it be charged twice?
Freight (delivery) and PDI (pre-delivery inspection / prep) are real costs, but watch for a sheet where the headline price says "includes freight & PDI" and a separate PDI line still appears further down. That can be a double charge.
Why is the contract price higher than the advertised price?
The gap is almost always fees and add-ons stacked after the advertised number. In markets with all-inclusive pricing rules, most mandatory non-government charges are expected to be inside the advertised price already, with only set taxes and levies added.
What should I ask before signing a finance or lease offer?
For finance: confirm the APR, the term, the total cost of borrowing, and whether any negative equity from a trade-in is rolled in. For a lease: confirm the annual mileage allowance, the per-kilometre overage charge, and the buyout price at the end.
What should I ask before trading in my vehicle?
Trade-in math can shift the whole deal. Confirm the trade allowance, the exact loan payout to your current lender, and the net equity applied. If the real payout at settlement differs, the amount you finance changes.
What should I ask before buying a used EV or hybrid?
The deal is only half the risk. Confirm the traction-battery warranty terms and remaining coverage, ask for battery state-of-health where available, confirm open recalls by VIN with the manufacturer, and clarify exactly what charging equipment comes with the vehicle.
Vehicle purchase rules vary by market
Purchase Buddy resolves to your market from the dealer or seller location and tailors the questions accordingly.
| Market | What Vehicle Purchase Buddy checks |
|---|---|
| Canada | Dealer fees, advertised price, mandatory vs. optional charges, recall questions by VIN |
| Quebec | All-inclusive vehicle price questions and consumer-protection-style buyer prompts |
| Ontario | All-in advertised price questions in line with the provincial dealer standard |
| United States | Total price, add-ons, finance terms, and state-specific rules where supported |
| California | Buyer questions tied to upcoming add-on disclosure timing |
| Massachusetts | Total-price disclosure questions |
| United Kingdom | Mandatory-charge and drip-pricing questions |
| France | Prix TTC, carte grise, optional services, contrôle technique for used vehicles |
| EU / other | General guidance only, with local confirmation recommended |
Market-aware vehicle purchase guidance, with supported markets expanding over time. Not global legal coverage.
Buying an EV or hybrid? The deal is only half the risk.
The $29 tier adds a battery-and-recall intelligence layer on top of the deal review — the things a finance sheet never mentions.
- Battery warranty terms and remaining coverage
- Battery health / state-of-health proof
- Charging-system and equipment questions
- Open recalls by VIN
- Thermal-management warnings
- 12V battery and DC-DC converter issues
- Hybrid battery / inverter / eCVT questions
- Software-update history
- Dealer promises about range or battery coverage — in writing
What your review includes
- A plain-language summary of the deal
- Fee and add-on red flags, with what to confirm
- A missing-document checklist
- Market-specific buyer questions
- A copy-paste, dealer-ready message
- Recall / VIN confirmation prompts
- EV / hybrid risk prompts when selected
- Source labels and claim IDs where a market rule is used
What we don't do: we don't tell you a charge is illegal or that a dealer broke the law. We tell you what appears unclear and exactly what to ask the dealer to confirm in writing.
Pricing
All sales are final — your review is a digital product delivered immediately after payment. A review that fails to generate is automatically re-run or refunded. No sign-up required; secure Stripe checkout.
How it works
- Upload your offer, contract, finance/lease sheet, trade-in figure, or warranty add-on — or paste the details.
- Tell us the market, condition, and whether it's electric or hybrid.
- Pay securely. Your review generates in about 30–90 seconds.
- Get your red flags, your questions, and a dealer-ready message to send before you sign.
Independent by design
EV Risk Index is not a dealer, lender, warranty seller, or manufacturer. Vehicle Purchase Buddy is built to help buyers organize documents, identify unclear deal terms, and ask better questions before signing. No manufacturer, dealer, advertiser, or affiliate money influences what we flag.
Vehicle Purchase Buddy organizes documents, highlights buyer-risk signals, and generates questions to ask before signing. It does not provide legal, financial, tax, insurance, mechanical, or regulatory advice. Rules vary by jurisdiction and facts. Confirm final obligations with the dealer, lender, warranty provider, manufacturer, regulator, or a qualified professional.