The Consumer Rights Act 2015 and used cars: your rights explained

What the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 came into force on 1 October 2015 and is the main law protecting consumers who buy goods, services and digital content from a business. For cars, it replaced the older Sale of Goods Act and, if anything, strengthened your rights — most notably by introducing the clear 30-day right to reject.

It applies whenever you buy a car from a trader — new or used, outright or on finance, from a franchised showroom, a car supermarket, an independent garage or an online dealer. Most claims under the Act are about used cars, because that's where most faults show up. This page explains what it entitles you to; for the practical walk-through, see our guide on how to reject a faulty car.

The three standards a car must meet

Under the Act, every car sold by a trader must satisfy three tests. A breach of any one gives you a claim.

How the Act applies to used cars

The most common misunderstanding about the Consumer Rights Act — and one plenty of dealers are happy to leave uncorrected — is that used cars somehow sit outside it. They don't. A used car bought from a trader must meet exactly the same three standards as a brand-new one. What changes is the benchmark, not the protection.

Section 9 says satisfactory quality is judged by what a reasonable person would expect taking into account the price, the age, the mileage and how the car was described. So a £2,500 hatchback with 110,000 miles is allowed to have tired suspension, worn seats and a few advisories on its last MOT. What it is not allowed to have is a gearbox that gives up three weeks after you drive it away. Durability is written into the standard, whatever the age of the car — the question is never “is the car old?” but “should a car like this, at this price, with these miles, have developed this fault this soon?”

Two things carry extra weight with used cars. The first is the description: a car advertised as “excellent condition, full service history” is being held to the standard those words create, and a missing or invented history is a claim in itself. The second is the six-month presumption: report a fault within six months of buying any car, used included, and the law assumes it was present at sale unless the dealer proves otherwise. That reversal of the burden of proof is worth more in a used-car dispute than almost anything else in the Act.

The genuine limit is fair wear and tear. Brake pads, tyres, wiper blades and clutches wear out in normal use, and a used car isn't faulty because consumable parts are part-worn. The line the law draws is between a car showing its age and a car that can't do its job — and dealers routinely try to move that line. If you're being told an engine failure is “just wear and tear”, it almost certainly isn't.

Your four remedies

The Act gives you a ladder of remedies, and it only works in one direction. In the first 30 days you can go straight to rejection for a full refund — the dealer cannot insist on a repair first, however hard they push one. From day 31 the order flips: the dealer gets one chance to repair (or replace), and if that fails, isn't done in a reasonable time, or causes you significant inconvenience, the final right to reject opens up — on a used car, usually minus a fair-use deduction. Price reduction is the keep-the-car alternative for faults you can live with.

The time limits

Timing decides how strong your claim is. In brief: a full refund in the first 30 days; one repair then the final right to reject up to six months; and after six months you can still claim for up to six years (five in Scotland) if you can prove the fault was present at sale. The full breakdown is in our car rejection time limits guide.

Who is covered

The Act only governs sales by a trader to a consumer. Where you bought the car matters.

Cars bought on finance

The Act works alongside the Consumer Credit Act. On PCP or HP the finance company is the supplier and is directly responsible for the car’s quality; if you paid any part by credit card, Section 75 makes the card provider liable too. See our full guide to rejecting a car on finance.

What the Act does not cover

Weighing up your options versus other consumer-help routes? Compare us with Which? and Citizens Advice.

Five things dealers say that have no legal force

“It was sold as seen.” On a trader sale, meaningless. Section 31 of the Act makes any term that tries to exclude your statutory rights unenforceable — the words can be printed on the invoice in capital letters and they still change nothing. (More on “sold as seen”.)

“Your warranty has run out, so there's nothing we can do.” A dealer warranty sits on top of your legal rights, never instead of them. A three-month warranty expiring doesn't touch the up-to-six-years you have under the Act — the warranty is a convenience, the Act is the law.

“All used cars have issues — that's what you signed up for.” You signed up for wear appropriate to the age, mileage and price. You did not sign up for faults. Those are different things, and section 9 treats them differently.

“You've been driving it, so you've accepted it.” Driving the car is how faults get discovered. Using the car normally while a dispute is live doesn't waive your rights — within the first 30 days no deduction can be made for use at all.

“Take it up with the manufacturer.” Your contract is with whoever sold you the car — the dealer, or on HP/PCP your finance company. A manufacturer's goodwill scheme or recall may exist alongside that, but the dealer pointing you elsewhere is deflection, not law.

Test your knowledge

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Frequently asked questions

General information about the Consumer Rights Act 2015, not legal advice for your specific situation.