What are a consumer’s legal rights when buying a car?
If you bought your car after 01 October 2015, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 will apply. If you bought your car before 01 October 2015, then the Sale of Goods Act 1979 will apply.
Short-term right to reject
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you have a short term right to reject your car if it is of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described. You can get a full refund. However, you should remember that this right is short-term and is only limited to 30 days from the date you bought your car.
There is no short-term right to reject under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
Exercising your consumer rights
If you are now outside of the first 30 days, the seller has one opportunity only to repair or replace the faulty car. You will not be able to ask for rejection at this stage. This does not apply to cars purchased before 1 October 2015. The Sale of Goods Act allows the seller to either repair or replace the car within a reasonable period of time without causing significant inconvenience.
If you are complaining about a fault within the first six months of purchase, it is presumed this fault was there at the time of purchase. The seller will need to prove that this fault was not there at point of sale. If you are complaining about a fault outside of the first six months, you will need to prove that fault was there at point of sale.
If the seller is unable to repair the fault because the same fault persists or a new inherent fault has developed, or the replacement car has an inherent fault, then you can ask for your money back or a price reduction (partial refund) if you wish to keep the car.
Remember, for rejection outside of the first 30 days, the seller is entitled to deduct the mileage you have added onto the car.
How to submit a dispute to The Motor Ombudsman
The Motor Ombudsman is a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider who can assist with disputes that arise between consumers and Code-accredited businesses.
Before you submit a dispute to us, firstly please ensure you have taken a look at the information about our process on the resolve a dispute page.
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