Guest Check-Out: How To
Check-out mirrors check-in: run the photo wizard one more time before you leave the car, your host confirms the return, and a 24-hour window opens to catch anything either side needs to flag.
Step 1: Open the trip and start check-out
From your active trip, tap Check Out when you're ready to return the vehicle at the agreed time and location.
Step 2: Run the photo wizard again
Same four steps as check-in, captured live in-app:
1. Four exterior angles — front, back, driver's side, passenger's side.
2. Interior — front and back seats.
3. Odometer — final mileage reading.
4. Fuel or charge gauge — final level.
These photos are timestamped, geotagged, and locked the moment they upload, just like at check-in. Together, your check-in and check-out photos form the complete before-and-after record of the trip.
Step 3: Host inspects and confirms
If you're returning the car in person, your host reviews the vehicle and confirms the return while you're both there — this is the fastest way to close out a trip and settle any questions on the spot. If it's a lockbox or remote drop-off, your host has 24 hours to review your photos remotely and confirm; you don't need to wait around for them to do it live.
Step 4: Trip goes Completed
Once the return is confirmed (or the review window passes), the trip status flips to Completed. Your odometer and fuel/charge photos become the trip's official ending record.
The 24-hour damage-report window
Completion starts a 24-hour clock. During this window, either you or your host can file a damage report if something's wrong. If neither side files anything:
- Your card authorization hold releases automatically — no multi-day wait, no separate request needed. See Security Deposit Explained.
- The trip is fully closed out, and your host's earnings for the trip become payable on their next scheduled payout.
If a report is filed, it goes through Carvia's standard claims process — see Filing a Damage Dispute (Guest) for exactly what happens and how your check-in photos protect you.
Why your photos still matter here
Your check-out photos do double duty: they show the car's actual condition when you handed it back, and — just as important — they're timestamped proof of *when* your responsibility for the vehicle ended. If a dispute comes up days later, "when did the trip actually end" is one of the first things it settles. Don't skip angles or rush the fuel/charge shot even if you're in a hurry to catch a flight; two extra minutes here is what makes a dispute a non-issue instead of a headache.
If you notice new damage or an issue on your way out
If you notice damage that happened during your trip (even something minor, like a curb scrape), it's better to document it yourself in your check-out photos and mention it to your host directly, in-app, before you leave. Being upfront costs you nothing — see Filing a Damage Dispute (Guest) for how good-faith reporting works and why it never carries a penalty.
What's next
Once the 24-hour window closes clean, you're done — check your receipt any time in-app. Heading to another trip? Start again with Guest Check-In: How To.