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Key takeaways
- The Act covers cars bought from a trader since 1 October 2015
- Satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, as described: fail one and you have a remedy
- Remedies: refund, repair, replacement or price reduction, by time owned
- 30 days full refund; one repair to 6 months; 6 years with proof
- Trader sales only; private sales are largely outside it
On this page
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. Fall short on any one and the remedies below open up.
Satisfactory quality
The standard a reasonable person would accept, judged on price, description, age and mileage — including safety, durability and freedom from defects.
Satisfactory quality explainedFit for purpose
Fit to be used as a car, and for any particular purpose you made known to the dealer before buying.
What counts as a faultAs described
Matches the advert, listing and salesperson’s claims — mileage, spec, history and condition.
How the Act changed thingsHow the Act applies to used cars
The most common misunderstanding about the Consumer Rights Act 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 some dealers will try to move it. An engine or gearbox failure is not wear in the ordinary sense; the question is whether a car of that age, price and mileage should have got there this soon.
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, even if one is offered. 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.
Reject for a refund
Hand the car back for a refund — in full within the first 30 days.
Repair
The dealer fixes the fault at their cost, within a reasonable time.
Replacement
An equivalent car instead of a repair, where one exists.
Price reduction
Keep the car and have part of the price refunded to reflect the fault.
The time limits
Timing decides which remedy is open to you, and the clock starts on the day you took delivery of the car.
First 30 days
Reject for a full refund
The short-term right to reject. The dealer cannot insist on a repair first, and nothing is deducted for the miles you have driven.
30 days to 6 months
One repair, then reject
The dealer gets one chance to repair or replace the car. If that fails, you can reject it. A fault that shows up in this window is presumed to have been there at sale unless the dealer proves otherwise.
6 months to 6 years
Still open, with evidence
You can still take it up with the dealer (5 years in Scotland), but now it is for you to show the fault was there, or developing, when you bought the car.
The full breakdown, including how the fair-use deduction works after the first 30 days, is in our car rejection time limits guide.
Which window are you in?
Put in your reg and when you bought the car, and we’ll tell you, with the dates. Free, no card.
Who is covered
The Act only governs sales by a trader to a consumer. Where you bought the car matters.
Covered
Bought from a dealer
Garages, car supermarkets, franchised showrooms and online traders.
Not covered
Bought privately
Only “as described” and the law on misrepresentation apply. Private-seller rights →
Often excluded
Bought at auction
Trade auctions in particular can limit your rights in their terms. Check them before you bid.
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
- Fair wear and tear for the car’s age and mileage
- Faults you were clearly told about before buying
- Faults an examination you actually made should have revealed
- Damage you caused after purchase
- Private-seller purchases (largely)
Weighing up your options? See how we compare with MoneySavingExpert, Resolver and doing it yourself.
Five things some 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 your rights under the Act sit with whoever sold you the car.
Test your knowledge
Not sure how the Act applies to your situation? Take our quick quiz.
You buy a used car from a dealer and discover a fault 3 weeks later. What are you entitled to?
Frequently asked questions
It requires any car sold by a trader to be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. If it isn’t, you can reject it for a refund, or seek a repair, replacement or price reduction, subject to time limits.
Yes. It applies to used cars bought from a dealer, though the standard of satisfactory quality is judged against the car’s age, mileage and price. It does not apply to private sales.
You can reject for a full refund within 30 days. Between 30 days and six months you must allow one repair before rejecting, and the fault is presumed to have been present at sale. After six months you can still claim for up to six years (five in Scotland) but must prove the fault was present at purchase.
Yes. On PCP or HP the finance company is the supplier and is directly responsible for the car’s quality under the Act. If you paid by credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act also makes the card provider jointly liable.
Largely no. The Act only covers purchases from a trader. Buying privately, your protection is limited to the car being “as described” and the law on misrepresentation.
Yes, if it is faulty. The short-term right to reject gives you 30 days from delivery to reject a faulty used car for a full refund with no deduction for use. It is not a change-of-mind right — the car must fail one of the three standards.
The words can appear on the paperwork, but they have no legal effect on a trader sale. Section 31 of the Consumer Rights Act makes any attempt to exclude your statutory rights unenforceable. “Sold as seen” only carries weight in genuine private sales.
No — and it doesn’t matter. A dealer warranty is optional and sits alongside your rights under the Act, which apply warranty or not. A short warranty expiring does not end your legal protection, which can run up to six years.
General information about the Consumer Rights Act 2015, not legal advice for your specific situation.