Bought a faulty used car in the UK: how to get your money back

A used car is the most expensive purchase most people in the UK make without a lawyer — and the one most likely to end with the question "can I give it back?". You often can. The law gives buyers a fairly hard set of rights, but they run on a clock, and many claims fail simply because a month was lost emailing the dealer.

Which law protects a used car buyer?

The Consumer Rights Act 2015, in force since 1 October 2015, if you bought from a trader — a dealership, a forecourt, any business that sells cars.

The Act requires goods to be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. A car is goods like any other, only dearer. If it is not, the buyer gets a ladder of remedies: first rejection, then repair, then money back with a deduction. The one precondition is that the seller is a business. Buying from a private seller works differently — see below.

What can you demand in the first 30 days?

For the first 30 days you have the short-term right to reject: hand the car back and take the whole price, with no deduction for mileage.

The clock starts on whichever happened last — transfer of ownership, delivery, or the trader telling you the preparation is done (section 22). The rejection has to be clear: a letter or message showing you are ending the contract, not asking someone to "have a listen to that knocking". The refund is due without undue delay and in any event within 14 days of the trader accepting it (section 20), and reasonable costs of returning the car fall on the trader.

A detail that costs people the deadline: if you agree to a repair, the 30-day clock stops for the waiting period and restarts when the car comes back. If the fault survives the repair, you get at least another 7 days to reject.

What if the fault appears after 30 days?

After 30 days you keep the right to one free repair or replacement at the trader's expense.

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Section 23 says this must happen within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, with labour, parts and postage paid by the trader. The Act does not put a number on "reasonable time" — it depends on the goods and why you bought them. For a car someone commutes in, three weeks in a workshop with no courtesy vehicle is already a conversation about significant inconvenience.

Why do the first six months matter so much?

Because for six months it is the trader, not you, who has to prove the car was sound when it was sold.

That is section 19(14): any non-conformity that shows up within six months of delivery is treated as having been there on day one. The dealer can rebut it — by showing you caused the damage, for instance — but the burden is theirs. After six months it flips, and you are the one paying for an independent expert's report. Which is why an expensive diagnosis of that gearbox noise belongs in month five, not month seven.

What if the car breaks again after the repair?

After one failed repair or replacement you can choose one of two things: a price reduction with a partial refund, or the final right to reject the car.

Section 24 opens this in three situations: the fault survived a repair or replacement; repair and replacement are impossible or disproportionate; or the trader dragged the repair out or caused significant inconvenience. You may take one remedy, not both.

Why is money deducted when you hand the car back?

Because motor vehicles are a deliberate exception: on a final rejection the trader may deduct for your use of the car even within the first six months.

For every other category that deduction is banned in the first six months, but section 24(10) carves motor vehicles out of the ban. The Act sets no formula; in practice it is worked out from mileage and time of ownership. Another reason to act inside the 30-day window, where no deduction applies at all.

What is the trader not responsible for?

None of these rights apply if you were told about the fault before buying, if you caused it, or if it is fair wear and tear.

Citizens Advice lists four situations with no claim: the seller disclosed the problem and fully explained it; you inspected the car and should have spotted the fault, such as a dent; you caused it; or the wear is normal for the mileage, like brake pads after long use. Separately, if the car is fine and you simply changed your mind, there is no right to return it.

How is a private sale different from a dealer?

A private seller owes you no duty of satisfactory quality — only that they are entitled to sell the car and that it matches the description given.

That follows from section 14(2) of the Sale of Goods Act 1979: the satisfactory quality term is implied only where the seller sells "in the course of a business". If a private advert said the car was never in an accident and it was, that is a description problem and a claim. If nothing was promised and the clutch goes a week later, that is legally your problem. Auctions are riskier still: returns and refunds usually do not apply, and the auction house's terms are worth reading before you raise a hand.

What if the car is on finance or PCP?

With hire purchase or PCP you complain to the finance company — in law it is the finance company that sold you the car.

If the dealer stonewalls, the complaint goes to the lender, and after their final response (or eight weeks of silence) free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service. A separate route is paying by credit card: for goods costing between £100 and £30,000, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the card issuer jointly liable with the seller, even if only the deposit went on the card. How UK ombudsman schemes work in general is set out in our guide.

Where do you complain if the dealer ignores you?

Start with The Motor Ombudsman, the dispute scheme for the motor trade, on 0345 241 3008; if that fails, a claim in the County Court is left.

The ombudsman is free but only covers businesses signed up to its code, so it is worth checking membership before you buy. For modest sums the court route is the small claims track, designed for people without a solicitor, with a fee scaled to the amount claimed. We set out the steps separately, and the general rules on returning faulty goods are here.

How do you check a car before buying so it never gets to court?

Two free steps are compulsory: the MOT history on GOV.UK and a check of the car's details against DVLA records.

The MOT check shows every pass and failure with the tester's advisories and the recorded mileage, so a clocked odometer is visible at once. The DVLA service confirms make, model, engine size and tax status. Then the paid steps: a private history check for theft, outstanding finance and write-off status costs up to about £20, and an independent inspection around £120–£250. Citizens Advice advises insisting on the original V5C rather than a photocopy, and never buying a car without the logbook. And remember what comes after the purchase: tax, insurance and MOT are covered here, while fuel can now be compared straight from the map — as we reported on 8 October.

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified solicitor.