FaultyCar.co.uk vs Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice is one of the UK's most important consumer services. Government-funded and free to use, it has helped tens of millions of people navigate disputes, understand their rights, and access support.

If you've bought a faulty car, calling Citizens Advice is often the first step people recommend. But can advice alone get your money back?

Why People Consider Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice is the default recommendation — and for good reason. It's free, it's trusted, and it's been helping people since 1939.

Their consumer helpline (0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm) connects you with a trained adviser who can explain your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. They can also refer your case to Trading Standards if the dealer is breaking the law. For many people, it's the natural first port of call.

What Citizens Advice Does Well

When you're stressed about a faulty car and unsure of your rights, speaking to someone who can explain the law in plain English is genuinely helpful. Citizens Advice advisers can tell you whether you have the right to reject, explain the 30-day rule, and help you understand your options. You really can't overstate the value of free, impartial advice from a trained person.

Their ability to refer cases to Trading Standards is also unique. If a dealer is engaging in unfair trading practices — misrepresenting the car's condition, tampering with the mileage, or refusing to honour your statutory rights — Trading Standards has enforcement powers that no other service on this list can match. Citizens Advice is the gateway to that.

Their website also provides template letters and step-by-step guides on consumer rights, all completely free. And for face-to-face advice, many areas have local offices where you can speak to someone in person.

Where It Falls Short for Car Rejection

Citizens Advice gives you knowledge but not tools. Their role is to advise — they can't act on your behalf, send letters for you, or manage your case. Once you hang up the phone, you're on your own to draft the letters, track the deadlines, and handle the dealer's response.

The advisers are generalists who cover everything from housing to employment to consumer rights. They know the law, but they may not be familiar with the specific tactics car dealers use to avoid accepting a rejection.

When a dealer tells you "we'll repair it under warranty" or "you need to give us three chances to repair," you need to know exactly how to respond. A general adviser may not have that specialist knowledge at their fingertips.

Phone wait times can also be a practical issue. The service is in high demand, and getting through during busy periods can take a while. The helpline runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, which doesn't suit everyone.

And there's no case management, no deadline tracking, no evidence storage, and no escalation templates. If the dealer ignores your letter or your claim involves a finance company, you'll still need to draft every letter and manage every deadline yourself.

When FaultyCar.co.uk Is the Better Choice

FaultyCar.co.uk is designed to take you from understanding your rights to actually enforcing them. Where Citizens Advice tells you that you can reject a faulty car within 30 days, we give you the personalised rejection letter, track the deadline, and provide the follow-up templates when the dealer doesn't respond.

The platform covers every stage: initial rejection letter, chase letters when the dealer goes quiet, finance company notifications, Section 75 claim templates, and escalation letters. Each is tailored to your specific situation.

Dealer excuse responses are built in too, so when the pushback comes — and it usually does — you have a legally grounded reply ready to go.

Evidence storage keeps everything organised in one place, and the case dashboard gives you a clear view of where you stand. All for a one-off £69 fee, with no subscription and no percentage of your refund taken.

Our Honest Take

Citizens Advice is an essential service and we would never suggest skipping it. If you haven't called them yet, you should — the advice is free, impartial, and genuinely helpful.

But advice and action are different things. Citizens Advice helps you understand what you're entitled to. We help you go and get it.

The ideal approach? Use both. Call Citizens Advice to confirm your rights, then use our letters, tracking, and case management to execute your rejection from start to finish. They complement each other really well.