WeBuyCars has quietly reshaped one of the most sensitive parts of its business: how it inspects and presents used vehicles to buyers. The company has ended its long running reliance on a single external inspection brand and is now leaning on a new technology driven partner while telling customers to bring their own mechanics if they want extra peace of mind. The shift lands just as the retailer faces regulatory pressure over how transparently it treats consumers.
The rise of Inspectify and a new tech heavy inspection model
The clearest signal of WeBuyCars’ change in direction is its embrace of Inspectify as the new face of its condition checks. The retailer now describes Inspectify as South Africa’s next generation vehicle inspection company, positioning the brand as an independent, professional layer between its stock and wary buyers. By stressing that Inspectify operates as a separate specialist, WeBuyCars is trying to reassure customers that the assessment of a 2019 Volkswagen Polo or a 2016 Toyota Hilux on its floor is not simply the seller marking its own homework but a third party applying consistent standards across the board.
WeBuyCars is also leaning heavily on Inspectify’s technology pitch to reset expectations about what a used car report should look like. The company highlights that the tools Inspectify has incorporated give customers much more information than before and a more complete picture of a vehicle’s condition, from bodywork to mechanical components, all wrapped in a digital report that can be reviewed before signing an offer to purchase. Internally, the retailer frames the entire partnership around a single principle, captured in its explanation that the reason behind Inspectify is one thing, transparency is trust, a line that doubles as both marketing slogan and a tacit acknowledgement that trust has become a pressure point in its business model.
From single partner dependence to shared responsibility with buyers
Behind the branding shift sits a more structural change in how WeBuyCars allocates responsibility for checking vehicles. Instead of presenting a single inspection certificate as the definitive word on a 2015 BMW 3 Series or a 2020 Ford Ranger, the company now explicitly encourages customers to add their own layer of scrutiny. On its condition report page, WeBuyCars tells shoppers that Your trusted professional mechanic is welcome at its branches to help evaluate a vehicle, signalling that the retailer expects buyers to participate directly in verifying what they are about to purchase rather than relying solely on a house endorsed inspection partner.
That invitation is more than a customer service flourish, it is a legal and reputational hedge after a bruising run in front of regulators. In a recent settlement, We Buy Cars agreed to pay R3.4 million to affected customers, a figure highlighted in coverage of how the Vehicle retailer handled complaints about its sales practices. By telling buyers to bring their own experts and by foregrounding Inspectify’s independence, the company is effectively spreading the due diligence burden across three parties, the retailer, the inspection specialist and the consumer’s chosen mechanic, in the hope that fewer disputes will end up in formal complaints or costly refunds.
Regulatory pressure, refunds and the push to rebuild trust
The inspection shake up also needs to be read alongside the financial and operational commitments WeBuyCars has made to regulators. After a consumer law enforcement process, the company has committed to creating more jobs, paying a R2.5 million fine and refunding more than R3.4 million to 31 customers who were identified as having been wronged. Those undertakings, set out in detail in a televised briefing on how WeBuyCars would respond to the case, underline how expensive gaps in transparency can become when they collide with consumer protection law.
Seen together, the move to Inspectify, the explicit welcome for outside mechanics and the multimillion rand settlement package amount to a strategic reset of how WeBuyCars wants to be judged. The retailer is betting that a more data rich inspection process, anchored by South Africa based specialists and backed by clear consumer remedies, will convince buyers that its warehouse floors and online listings are safer places to shop for everything from entry level hatchbacks to high mileage SUVs. Whether that bet pays off will depend on how consistently the new system surfaces flaws before a sale, and how quickly the company resolves the inevitable disputes that still slip through, but the direction of travel is unmistakable: inspection is no longer a quiet back office function, it is now central to WeBuyCars’ promise that transparency really can rebuild trust.
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