Expert Says You Should Ask For An ‘Overnight Test Drive’ Before Buying A Car. Then He Reveals Why

"I always like to stress to my customers to do that."

Expert says you should ask for an ‘overnight test drive

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Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Aug 29, at 10:00pm ET

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A car buying expert offers shoppers a tip about overnight test drives and why they should ask for one before settling on a used car.

TikTok creator Collin Bentley (@collinbentley_) included the note in a video about how to get through the dealership and actually purchase a car in under an hour.

“Don’t you hate how long it takes to buy a vehicle?” he asks to start the video. “Here’s five things you can do to spend less than one hour total at the dealership and leave with a vehicle.”

What Can You Do To Get Out Of The Dealership In Under An Hour?

The first few pieces of advice are fairly standard, including getting preapproval from a financial institution, calling to confirm the vehicle is available the day you’re headed to the dealership, and having your trade-in appraised virtually ahead of time.

Another suggestion Bentley has is asking for an overnight test drive. That allows the shopper to visit an independent mechanic, he says, to verify that the used car they’re looking at is in the condition they expect. “So they know what they’re getting into,” Bentley says.

Are Overnight Test Drives The Best Way To Vet A Used Car?

In the comments section of the video, viewers discussed the advice and offered recommendations of their own.

“Or you could just find a cheap car on Facebook [Marketplace] and just go grab one without having to go into a dealership,” one person wrote.

A second person said, “Go to Tesla['s website] and click purchase. Enter your bank account information or apply for financing. Done.”

“The only way you can walk out in an hour is if you have the money to buy it outright then,” a third person said. Bentley replied, “Did you watch the video?’

Gallery: Mercedes improves the dealership shuttle experience with a twin-engine helicopter

Mercedes Heli-Express shuttle service

The Pros Of Taking A Used Car For An Overnight Test Drive

Overnight test drives are absolutely a thing, and in some cases shoppers can take the car for several days. That’s long enough to determine whether the car fits their lifestyle and make sure no mysterious codes pop up. And the overnight test drive isn’t just for used cars—Tesla even allows it in some cases.

A person posted a thread to Reddit’s r/askcarsales about seven years ago to say they remember this practice from their youth and ask if it’s still common. The answers appear to be mixed.

One person said, “It depends on the dealer and how serious you are about buying. At the Ford store I worked at, we did it frequently, but only when we were 99% sure it would be a deal. It wasn’t like we were just going to let you drive a bunch of cars overnight. At the Toyota store I worked at, it was a firm 100% rule of no overnight drives.”

Another person said, “We stopped doing it about 10 years ago. We found that it rarely, if ever, brought someone closer to buying a car. After one too many incidents of someone wanting to overnight test drive a vehicle, only to use it to drive to the casino or haul stuff before returning it, we ended the overnight test drives.”

Someone else said, “Our sales department allows this frequently, especially for customers with top-tier credit, or customers who they are familiar with from multiple sales in the past. Moreso with used vehicles, but occasionally a new one goes out for a weekend. Again, it depends on the customer.”

What do you think?

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Motor1 contacted Bentley via email for comment. We will update this story if he responds.

Update Sept. 5, 2026: In an email to Motor1, Bentley wrote, "I can only speak for our automotive group, but we allow at least 80% of potential customers to do so. We do verify approval beforehand, but once we’ve done that, we just get a drivers license and proof of insurance. In my experience as a salesperson, it has been very effective, in particular in selling pre-owned vehicles, to give people the option to drive it for a day and alleviate the fear that can come with the purchase of a pre-owned vehicle, many customers also take it to an independent mechanic to get a 'trusted' evaluation, from what I have heard this costs them $150-300 or so, but it can save a good deal of money later, and help people feel much more secure in their purchase."

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