The interior of a car in Japan: what photos show, and what they can't
Sources checked 2 October 2026
A dealer's photos of the interior show you the layout, the colour of the seats and anything obviously wrong, like a big stain or a torn seat. What they can't show is how the car smells, and they often don't show how worn the seats really are. If you're buying from the other side of the world, those are the things you won't find out until the car arrives.
Here's what I check when I'm inside a car, in four parts. It's simple, and most of it can only be done in person.
What I check inside a car
Smell
For smell, I rely on my own nose. I get in and have a good sniff. There's no way to put a smell in a photo or a video, so this is one thing you can only learn by being in the car, or by asking someone who has been.
Dirt
Dirt, I check with my own eyes. A photo can show some dirt, if it's taken close enough and in good light.
Seat wear
With the seats, I look at how tired they are. On a bucket seat, the place to look is the side bolsters, the raised parts at the sides that hold you in. I look at whether they're crushed down, and whether they're scuffed. A photo taken straight at the seat can hide this, because the bolsters are at the edges.
Seat belts
I take a quick look at the belts to see whether they're frayed. It's a light check, not a test of the belt.
What photos can't tell you about the interior
- How the car smells. No photo or video carries a smell.
- How tired a seat is, if the photo is taken from the front or the light is flat.
- What's underneath. We don't take out seats, carpets or trim, so anything under them is outside what we can see.
- What it's like to sit in for a long drive. We don't test drive the car.
When we go and look at a car for you, the interior is part of it: we record what we see, what we smell and what the dealer tells us, and anything we couldn't check is marked Not verified in the report.
Want someone to check the inside of the car before you buy it? Send us the listing, and tell us which part of the interior matters to you.
If the car is a long way from us
We mainly cover the Tokai region: Aichi, Gifu and Mie. For a car elsewhere in Japan, ask us and we'll quote the travel before you pay. If a visit isn't practical, a Remote Check is where we phone the dealer in Japanese, ask your questions and request the photos you're missing. For what else we look at on a car, see what dealer photos miss and On-Site Vehicle Viewing.
Sources
- What to check inside, and how: the founder's own experience looking at cars
- What we look at on a viewing: On-Site Vehicle Viewing, checked 2 October 2026
If the inside of the car is what you're unsure about, we can go and have a look (and a sniff) if the car is somewhere we can reach.