Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about rejecting a faulty car and getting your money back under UK consumer law.
Your Rights
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you have 30 days from purchase to reject a faulty car for a full refund. After 30 days but within 6 months, you must give the dealer one chance to repair — if that fails, you can reject. After 6 months, you can still claim for up to 6 years, but you'll need to prove the fault was present at purchase.
Yes. Within 6 months, the burden of proof is on the dealer to show the fault wasn't there at purchase. You must allow one repair attempt, but if that fails or the dealer refuses, you can reject. After 6 months, you'll need evidence like an independent inspection, but claims are possible up to 6 years from purchase.
A fault is anything that makes the car not of satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose, or not as described. This includes mechanical issues, electrical problems, safety defects, mileage discrepancies, undisclosed accident damage, or missing features that were advertised. The car must be fit for purpose at the time of purchase.
Yes, and you have extra protection. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, the finance company is jointly liable with the dealer for faulty goods. You can claim against either or both. We provide specific letters for finance companies, and you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they don't cooperate.
Private sales have fewer protections — the Consumer Rights Act only applies to traders. However, the car must still match its description. If the seller lied about the condition, mileage, or history, you may have a claim for misrepresentation. Our platform focuses on dealer purchases where your rights are strongest.
The Process
Many dealers push back initially — it's common. Stand firm and put everything in writing. We provide chase letters, responses to common dealer excuses, and escalation letters for Trading Standards. If the dealer continues to refuse, you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman (for financed cars) or small claims court.
For most cases, no. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you clear statutory rights that don't require legal representation. Our letters cite the relevant law and are designed for you to use directly. If your case becomes complex (e.g. court proceedings), you may want legal advice — but most dealers settle before that point.
Keep everything: photos and videos of the fault, the sales invoice, any adverts or descriptions, MOT history, service records, communications with the dealer, and diagnostic reports. Within 6 months, you don't need to prove the fault existed at purchase — the law assumes it did. Our platform stores all your evidence in one place.
It varies. Some dealers respond within days, others take weeks. Legally, they should respond to your rejection letter within 14 days. If they don't, you send a chase letter. Most cases resolve within 4-8 weeks. If escalation to Trading Standards or the Financial Ombudsman is needed, it can take longer — but you'll have a paper trail ready.
Generally, no. Keep the car until you've received your refund in full. You can offer to make the car available for collection once refund is confirmed. If you return it first, you lose leverage. Our rejection letters make this clear to the dealer.
Using FaultyCar
FaultyCar is a self-service platform that helps you reject a faulty car. We generate professionally-worded letters citing the Consumer Rights Act, track your deadlines, store your evidence, and provide escalation options if the dealer doesn't cooperate. You send the letters yourself — we give you the tools and guidance.
Claims companies take 25-35% + VAT of your refund because they handle everything for you. With FaultyCar, you send the letters yourself. We provide the professionally-worded templates and step-by-step guidance — you do the work, you keep the money. It's £69 vs potentially thousands in fees.
No. The assessment is completely free and takes about 2 minutes. You only pay if you decide to create a case and access the full platform with letter templates, deadline tracking, and evidence storage.
Most cases don't go to court — dealers usually settle when they receive proper legal correspondence. But if yours does escalate, our platform helps you build a comprehensive paper trail that will be useful whether you represent yourself or hire a solicitor. We provide guidance on small claims court procedures too.
Yes. Each case costs £69 and is linked to a specific vehicle. If you have more than one faulty car, you can create a separate case for each one.
Specific Situations
It depends on the car's age, mileage, and price. A £15,000 car with 20,000 miles should have fewer issues than a £2,000 car with 100,000 miles. But even older cars must be roadworthy and match their description. If the dealer knew about a fault and didn't disclose it, that's not 'wear and tear' — that's a breach of contract. Our letters address this common excuse.
No. 'Sold as seen' disclaimers don't override your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act when buying from a trader. The law says the car must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. A dealer cannot contract out of these obligations. Our letters explain this clearly.
If the fault appears within 6 months of purchase, the law assumes it was there from the start. The dealer has to prove otherwise. After 6 months, you'll need to demonstrate the fault was present at purchase — an independent inspection report can help. The key is whether the fault existed at the point of sale, not when it became apparent.
Potentially, yes. If you paid for repairs that should have been the dealer's responsibility, you may be able to claim those costs back. Keep all receipts and invoices. The strength of your claim depends on when the repair was done and whether you gave the dealer the opportunity to fix it first.
If you bought on finance, you can claim against the finance company under Section 75 — they're jointly liable with the dealer. If you paid by credit card (even just the deposit), you may also have Section 75 protection. If you paid by debit card, check with your bank about chargeback options. These routes don't depend on the dealer being solvent.
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