If a vehicle you sold to a consumer develops a fault within 30 days, the buyer can reject it for a full refund. After that, you normally get one chance to repair or replace it. If that fails, they can ask for a price reduction or reject the vehicle, and for vehicles you can deduct for the use they have had. For the first six months, the law presumes any fault was there when you sold it, unless you can show it was not.
That is the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in three sentences. Below is the detail, and a way of handling complaints that keeps things calm and keeps you on the right side of it.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. For a disputed rejection or a high value claim, take advice.
What the buyer is entitled to
When you sell a vehicle to a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats the contract as including three terms: the vehicle must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.
Satisfactory quality is what a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking into account the description, the price and all the other circumstances (section 9). Durability, safety and freedom from minor defects all count. A 12-year-old vehicle with 120,000 miles is not judged like a nearly new one, but it still has to be satisfactory for what it is.
Two things do not count as a breach: a fault you specifically pointed out before the sale, and a fault the buyer's own inspection ought to have revealed. That is a strong reason to write known faults on the advert and the invoice.
You cannot contract out of any of this with a consumer. "Sold as seen" on a consumer invoice does not remove these rights (section 31).
The 30-day short-term right to reject
Under section 22, the buyer has 30 days to reject a faulty vehicle. The clock starts the day after ownership or possession has passed to them and the vehicle has been delivered.
It is a full refund. No deduction for use applies to a short-term rejection. The deduction for use only comes in with the final right to reject.
Repairs pause the clock. If the buyer asks for or agrees to a repair inside the 30 days, the period stops running while they wait. If the repair does not fix it, they have the rest of the original period, or seven days, whichever is later.
Refund within 14 days. Once you agree the buyer is entitled, the refund must be paid without undue delay and within 14 days, by the same payment method unless they agree otherwise, with no fee (section 20). The buyer must make the vehicle available for collection, and you bear the reasonable cost of getting it back.
Repair or replace
After the 30 days, or if the buyer prefers, the next step is repair or replacement (section 23).
- It must be done within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the buyer.
- You pay the necessary costs, including parts, labour and transport.
- The buyer cannot insist on a remedy that is impossible, or disproportionate compared with the other. For a used vehicle, a replacement is often impractical, so repair is the usual route.
Once the buyer has asked for a repair, they cannot jump to a replacement or the short-term right to reject until you have had a reasonable time to do it, unless waiting would cause significant inconvenience.
The six-month rule
Section 19(14) says that if a vehicle does not conform to the contract within six months of delivery, it is taken not to have conformed on the day of delivery.
In practice, that puts the burden on you for the first six months. If you think the fault was not there at handover, it is for you to show that, for example because it was caused by an accident or misuse. The presumption does not apply where it is incompatible with the nature of the goods or the kind of fault, which is where wear and tear on consumable parts tends to come in.
After six months, the presumption falls away. The buyer can still claim, but generally has to show the fault was present, or developing, when they bought the vehicle. Claims for breach of contract can be brought for up to six years in England and Wales under the Limitation Act 1980, and five years in Scotland, although the older the claim, the harder it is to prove.
The final right to reject and deduction for use
Under section 24, the buyer can ask for a price reduction or reject the vehicle if:
- after one repair or one replacement, the vehicle still does not conform
- repair and replacement are both impossible or disproportionate, or
- you did not repair or replace within a reasonable time or without significant inconvenience
Vehicles are different on deductions. For most goods, no deduction for use can be made on a final rejection in the first six months. Motor vehicles are the exception, written into section 24(10). So for a vehicle, you can make a deduction for use whenever the final right to reject is used.
The Act does not set a formula for that deduction. It should reflect the use the buyer has actually had, such as the miles covered and how long they had the vehicle. Whatever method you use, it needs to be reasonable and you need to be able to explain it. No deduction is allowed for any period when the buyer only had the vehicle because you failed to collect it at an agreed time.
If the vehicle was bought on finance
On hire purchase or conditional sale, the finance company is legally the supplier, so the buyer's Consumer Rights Act claim is against them. In practice the lender will usually come to you to inspect, repair or take the vehicle back under your agreement with them. For other credit, such as a personal loan arranged by you or a credit card part payment, the buyer may also have rights against the lender. Tell the lender early if a rejection is on the table.
A practical complaint routine
Most complaints get worse because of the first conversation, not the fault.
- Listen and log it. Date, what the buyer reports, mileage, warning lights, photos. Log it against the vehicle and customer record the same day.
- Check the dates. Days since delivery and months since delivery decide which rules apply. Work them out before you reply.
- Get it inspected. Ask the buyer to bring it in, or arrange collection. An independent inspection can help where you and the buyer disagree on the cause.
- Put your answer in writing. Say what you found, what you are offering and why. Be specific: repair booked for Tuesday, courtesy vehicle provided, or refund agreed and paid within 14 days.
- Keep the buyer updated. Silence during a repair is what turns a fixable fault into a formal rejection.
- Close it properly. Record the outcome, the cost and what you would do differently.
Good records start before any complaint. A condition record, a vehicle preparation history and a clear invoice that lists known faults are your best evidence that a fault was not there at handover. In Vehiso, the dealer management system keeps prep work, invoices and customer notes on the same record, and if you repair vehicles in-house, workshop management keeps the job card and parts used with it.
Ombudsman schemes and dispute resolution
If you cannot agree, the buyer may go to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme or to court. Since 6 April 2026, ADR for consumer contract disputes is covered by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
Under section 308, if you are required to use an ADR or similar scheme, under legislation, your contract or another arrangement such as a scheme membership, you must tell the buyer about it when you give them your final answer on their complaint.
Some dealers sign up to a scheme such as The Motor Ombudsman, which offers ADR for its members. Whether to join is a business decision, and joining brings its own obligations. If the complaint is about finance you arranged, the Financial Ombudsman Service can also be involved, as lenders and credit brokers are FCA regulated.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a customer have to reject a used vehicle?
The short-term right to reject lasts 30 days from the day after ownership or possession passes and the vehicle is delivered. During that time the buyer can reject a faulty vehicle for a full refund. After 30 days, you normally get one repair or replacement first.
Can I make a deduction for use if a buyer rejects a vehicle?
Not under the 30-day short-term right to reject, which is a full refund. Under the final right to reject, after a failed repair or replacement, you can make a deduction for use. Motor vehicles are specifically allowed a deduction even in the first six months, but the Act sets no formula, so it must be reasonable.
Who has to prove the fault was there when the vehicle was sold?
For the first six months after delivery, the law presumes a fault was present at delivery, so it is for you to show otherwise. After six months, the buyer generally has to show the fault was there or developing at the time of sale.
Does "sold as seen" protect a dealer?
Not against a consumer. The Consumer Rights Act stops traders excluding or restricting a consumer's rights to goods of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. What does help is pointing out specific known faults before the sale, in writing.
Do I have to offer the buyer an ombudsman?
You do not have to join an ADR scheme by default. But if you are required to use one, for example through a scheme you have joined, section 308 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 says you must tell the buyer about it when you give your answer on their complaint.
